A Very Dwarvish Christmas
by FiliandKili'sGirl18
Summary: Ever wondered what Christmas in Middle Earth is like? Look no further as the company of Thorin Oakenshield celebrate it in their own individual ways. (Series of One Shots.)
1. Chapter 1

_**Okay so this is basically a series of one shots and short stories set around Christmas time. I thought it would be a nice festive treat for everyone and would be some comfort after the BOTFA. Also I decided to call Christmas 'Yulemas' as it sounded far more Tolkien-y.**_

"Uncle look!"

"It's been snowing!"

Thorin Oakenshield smiled down at his two young nephews – both of whom were staring out of their bedroom window in delight. Where there had once been a clear view of the rocky plains and forests that surrounded Ered Luin; now Thorin could only see a thick blanket of brilliant white. As the winter sun streamed in through the window he had to hold up his hand to shield his eyes from the bright light. Both Fili and Kili however were too busy grinning at each other mischievously to notice. With a wide grin Kili spun round to face Thorin,

"Can we got out in in it uncle?" he swallowed and gave Thorin one of his famous innocent stares. Although he was only six years old; Kili had almost perfected the puppy dog look and it was enough to melt any dwarfs heart. It was certainly enough to work on Fili and his mother. Thorin sighed before taking another look out of the window. It would be freezing out there and Kili still hadn't managed to gain enough weight to keep him protected from the cold. Although he didn't want to disappoint his nephews, when it came to their safety Thorin was absolute.

"I don't think…" he broke off with a gasp as something grabbed his leg. Looking down he couldn't resist a smile as Kili gazed up at him; his brown eyes obscured by his dark hair. Thorin was about to tell Kili to let go when Fili wrapped his arms round his waist and hugged him hard. Thorin tried not to wince at his oldest nephews grip but Fili was stronger than he looked. In truth they both were,

"PLEASE!"

It was the way they had both said it at the exact same time. They hadn't even looked at each other, hadn't given a signal. They'd just instinctively known what the other had been about to say. Thorin opened his mouth when he heard a familiar chuckle behind him. He rolled his eyes as his sister came into view. At the sight of his mother Fili broke away from Thorin and moved to give her a hug. Meanwhile Kili still clung to Thorin's leg and Dis burst into laughter,

"Let go of your uncle Kili," she smiled and Kili shook his head,

"Not until he lets us play in the snow," he nodded firmly and Thorin shook his head before ruffling Kili's hair. Dis eyed him and he shrugged,

"He isn't fit enough Dis…it's too cold for him out there,"

"He can wear one of Mister Dori's jumpers," Fili butted in with a protective look at his little brother, "and he can have my fur coat,"

Thorin took another look at Kili and Dis smiled; gently placing an arm on his shoulder,

"Let them go Thorin," she whispered; her blue eyes sparkling, "It might be all gone tomorrow,"

Thorin doubted this highly. However his leg was starting to get cramp from having Kili cling to it and he knew his nephew well enough to know that Kili really wouldn't let go unless Thorin said yes. With a quick sigh Thorin nodded,

"Very well…but me and your mother are coming with you,"

The weight from his leg was gone in an instant. All he saw was a dark blur as Kili shot towards his brother who hugged him tightly. As the pair shot off to get dressed Thorin shook his head good-naturedly before smiling at his sister,

"They remind me of someone very familiar," he winked at her and she shrugged,

"Indeed…I remember a certain brother who always wanted to play in the snow when he was younger," she jabbed his arm and Thorin sighed.

"Will they be okay do you think?" he kept his voice quiet so the boys wouldn't hear him. Dis frowned at his term. She knew he was talking about Kili.

"He'll be fine. Fili won't let him freeze to death," Thorin noticed the admiration in her voice when she spoke about Fili protectiveness over Kili. He remembered how protective he'd been over Dis and Ferin when they were younger. As the memories began to cloud his mind Thorin was aware of Dis bursting into laughter at something. Shaking his head to clear it he looked over at his two nephews. Both were dressed in thick furs and huge snow boots. But it was Kili that was making Dis laugh. The poor boy had been forced into at least two more layers than Fili and was starting to look a lot like Bombur as he walked awkwardly towards Thorin,

"Can we go now?"

* * *

><p>It was a lot colder than Thorin had been expecting it to be. Pulling his fur cloak around him he watched enviously as Fili and Kili chased each other on the banks of the frozen lake that lay a few metres away from the forest. At first both he and Dis had been terrified one of the boys would run on the ice and it would break beneath his feet. But as Fili made sure Kili stayed away from the edge Thorin's fears began to slowly disperse. Instead he and Dis both stood back and watched the two boys playing with each other. Every so often a snowball would find its way to Thorin's feet; but he simply chucked an even bigger one in the direction it had come from. Dis watched it all from the side lines and after receiving several snowballs to the chest Thorin was forced to make his way over to her and out of range from his nephew's constant bombardment.<p>

"What's the matter?" his sister muttered. Thorin shook his head but he knew it was pointless. Dis had always been able to tell when he was lying. Running a hand through his hair he took a quick look at his nephews before giving his sister a wan smile,

"Nothing. I've just had a lot on my mind recently,"

"By that you mean Erebor?" Dis said softly. When Thorin didn't respond she sighed,

"Thorin…I know what the mountain is to you, to me and to the boys. But you need to stop living in the past. You need to be living in the _now!_"

"That mountain is…was our home! Had been for as long as anyone can remember," Thorin hissed,

"Your sons are princes Dis," he placed an arm around her shoulder, trying to soften his tone in the hope of appeasing her,

"They deserve to live in the rich mountain halls. To have the riches of our fathers at their dispersal. They deserve so much more,"

"I agree," Dis said smoothly, "But right now they _need_ both me and you to be there for them. To take care of them and protect them,"

Thorin scowled at this but as he saw Dis's outraged expression he hurriedly smoothed his face out as she narrowed her eyes,

"There will come a time to take back our homeland," Thorin could hear the reassurance in his sister's voice and she gave him a warm smile,

"But that time isn't now Thorin. You need to focus on Fili and Kili. With or without a mountain home they are still your heirs. They are your _family_. They should be your priority."

Thorin nodded at his sister, "When I do reclaim it," he muttered, "I'll do it for them,"

At this he turned to look to where he expected to see Fili and Kili playing in the snow. When he was greeted with an empty space Thorin's stomach plunged. He winced as Dis gripped his arm in terror,

"Thorin…" her voice was hoarse and Thorin held her close,

"Don't worry…they'll be here somewhere," he muttered before taking a tentative step forward. The snow crunched under his boots and Thorins eyes scanned the horizon in desperation,

"FILI!" his voice echoed in the silence and when there was no reply Dis's grip on his arm tightened,

"FILI! KILI!" she yelled. Thorin opened his mouth when she began tugging on him,

"Over there,"

Thorin followed his sister's arm and his eyes widened. Somehow Fili and Kili had made it to the centre of the frozen lake without him or their mother noticing. Thorin didn't even realise he was running until he reached the very edge of the lake and took a tentative step. As he heard an ominous cracking sound he jumped back and looked over at his two nephews. Both were too busy running around to notice him or Dis.

"Thorin do something!" Dis was staring at her two sons in horror. Thorin nodded to himself before taking another hesitant step forward. He didn't step onto the ice this time and instead just rested the tip of his boot on it. Cupping his hands to his mouth he yelled at his two nephews,

"FILI! KILI! GET OFF THE LAKE!"

Thorin had no idea he could shout so loud. He watched as both boys looked over in his direction. For a second they paused before edging forward. Thorin turned to give Dis a reassuring smile when he heard a creaking sound beneath him. Looking down his blood froze as he saw several cracks start to appear in the lake. He took another look at Fili and Kili. Both had to move slowly to avoid falling and even from his distance Thorin could see Fili holding his baby brother close to him. The creaking sound could be heard again and Thorin bit his lip. If he ran to grab them then the ice would give way completely.

"FILI, KILI! RUN!"

Without saying a word his nephews began running awkwardly towards him. As they got closer Thorin reached out an arm to pull them to safety. Fili was within touching distance when the ice began to break apart around the pair. Fili pulled Kili close as the patch of ice his brother had been standing on broke away,

"NO!" Dis screamed as the ice where her sons were standing broke apart. Thorin watched as Fili shoved Kili forward before throwing himself after him. Kili fell in a heap whilst only the top half of Fili had managed to stay on the ice. As he watched his oldest nephew struggle to pull himself up Thorin didn't even think twice. Throwing off his thick cloak and leather jacket he hurried onto the ice and picked Kili up under the arms,

"Run to your mother," he ordered. Kili bit his lip,

"But Fee?"

"I'll get your brother," Thorin gripped his shoulder hard, "Just run!"

Kili nodded and Thorin noticed he was shivering slightly. Putting that out of his mind he turned his attention back to Fili who had almost managed to haul himself out. Grabbing his nephew Thorin pulled him away from the water and held him in his arms. Fili's wet body clung to him and as more of the ice began to break Thorin began running. His blood was hot in his veins and his heart hammered against his ribcage. Only when his boots touched the hard snow on the frozen bank did he allow himself to stop and put Fili down. The second his nephews feet touched the floor Kili all but jumped on his brother,

"Fili!"

Thorin smiled softly as Fili held onto his brother. For a second he assumed it was because they were brothers and their bond was closer than most peoples'. However, after almost a minute he realised the pair were hugging each other to try and keep warm. Fili's boots and trousers were soaking wet and Kili was shaking all over. Wrapping his thick cloak around the pair Thorin embraced his sister who hugged him so hard he thought his bones would break,

"They're alright Dis," he whispered, "They're stronger than they look,"

She nodded before kneeling down and pulling her two sons close.

"We should be heading back," she muttered. Thorin nodded and retrieved his cloak from his nephews before bending down and waiting patiently for Fili to climb onto his back. He watched as Dis did the same with Kili and he waited until Fili was comfortable before starting the long journey home.

* * *

><p>As his two nephews sat quietly by the fire Thorin watched the pair closely. The second they had arrived home Dis had wrapped her sons in thick fur blankets and told them that if they moved an inch away from the fireplace then they would never be playing in the snow ever again. She must have looked terrifying because by the time Thorin entered both Fili and Kili were sitting next to the fire; each with a bowl of hot stew in their hands. Although they hadn't moved it hadn't stopped the pair from talking to each other; words tumbling out of their mouths so fast Thorin had no idea how they could understand each other. As Dis placed another blanket over the pair Thorin watched as Fili put his arm round Kili. How Kili snuggled against his brother. With his pipe in one hand Thorin lay back in the armchair; his eyes never leaving his two nephews. They were everything to him. They were his world.<p>

_**Okay so I hoped everyone liked the first installment. Nice mix of drama and family love. I'll be posting every day in order to be finished by Christmas Eve. Let me know what you think.**_


	2. White Christmas

_**Thanks to the 82 people who've read the start of this little fanfic. Big thanks to vinne02 and Mira Meliandra for following.**_

_**Nuka – Glad you liked it sweet. It's Christmas so I thought we should have some happy stories for a change and I can only say they'll get sweeter as we go on.**_

_**AN: This one is set in our world and it's my first time doing something like this so hope it goes okay.**_

As the clock on the shelf above the fire struck half seven, Balin stretched his legs and reclined back in his armchair. The others would be arriving any time now and his eyes scanned to the table where he'd managed to produce a feast fit for kings. It had taken him all day to make sure everything was cooked properly – he was still convinced that Gloin hadn't forgiven him for accidently giving him food poisoning a few years ago. Balin had been convinced that the chicken drumsticks had been cooked properly. This year however he'd decided to play it safe and not put anything remotely related to chicken out on the table. Not to say he hadn't made any effort at all. Tinsel decorated the table legs and the traditional cheap and cheerful Christmas plates and napkins lay in a small pile on one corner of the table. The rest was covered in various bowls and plates. All covered up to keep them from going off and also to stop Balin from picking up scraps every five seconds.

"Anyone home?" Bofur's cheery voice trailed through and Balin gave a small smile before pushing himself out of his armchair and heading towards the door. As he went he was careful to not trip over the haphazardly placed piles of books that took up most of the space. Bofur rang the doorbell again and although it was Christmas Eve Balin shook his head at his friend's impatience. With a ready smile he threw the door open to reveal Bofur standing in the doorway; his oddly shaped hat jammed on his head and his thick winter coat was zipped all the way up to his chin,

"Evening Balin!" he grinned, "Merry Christmas!"

Balin stood back to let him in. Bofur passed him a bottle of red wine before shedding off his multiple layers,

"It's freezing out," he muttered. Balin raised an eyebrow,

"I hadn't noticed," he said dryly. Bofur clapped him on the back before heading into the main room. As his eyes popped at the small feast on the table Balin smiled warmly to himself. He might be old but he still had enough energy to put together a decent meal for his friends,

"Bifur couldn't make it," Bofur added as Balin opened the wine and began to pour it into a glass,

"His head's been playing up again. But he wanted ye to have this. It's from all of us,"

Balin took the present and gave an understanding nod. Ever since his car accident Bofur had been having problems with his head. The doctors had given him pill after pill but nothing had ever seemed to do a good job. Balin shook his head. It was Christmas – they shouldn't be talking about depressing things like this. So instead he handed Bofur a glass and watched as his friend downed it in one. He went to say something else when he heard a sharp rap on the door,

"You wait all evening then they all come at once," Bofur winked at him. Balin sighed before heading back to the door. He would be better off just staying by his door until the last guest arrived.

"Evening brother!" he grinned as Dwalin stepped through the open doorway. His brother pulled a thick hat from his head and all but dumped his coat on the floor. As hard as his eyes looked Balin could see the kindness that lay behind them,

"You've gotten fat," he muttered. Balin stared down at himself before staring at Dwalin who was at least twice his size. The pair clapped each other on the shoulder; grins splitting from ear to ear on each face. As Dwalin moved into the living room Balin made to shut the door when he heard a voice cry out,

"Wait!"

Stepping out into the freezing night Balin saw the shapes of Nori, Dori and Ori running towards the house. Or at least he assumed it was Ori. The poor boy was wrapped up in so many layers he looked like a multi-coloured Christmas pudding. As the trio piled through his open doorway Balin stood back as he watched more and more coats take up his already small hallway. Satisfied that was everyone he pushed the door shut before following the others into the living room.

"Happy Christmas Balin," Ori gave him a small smile and Balin hugged the boy close,

"Happy Christmas Ori," he winked at him before moving to his tree,

"Look what I've got here for you," he pulled out a present and handed it to the boy. Tapping his nose he smiled at Dori,

"Father Christmas must have come here by mistake," he whispered. Ori's eyes lit up and he ran over to Dori; waving the present excitedly. As Dwalin and Bofur began to remove the coverings from the food the room was instantly filled with a variety of delicious odours. Balin sighed in content before sitting back down; allowing his friends to take their share first. There would always be enough left over. He'd made enough to feed at least ten people. And only him and Dwalin were the big eaters.

"I got ye a plate brother," Dwalin handed him a plate piled high with almost everything that had been served up. Balin gave a grateful smile and watched how the rest of his friends piled onto the various armchairs that he'd scattered around the room. Only Bofur and Ori didn't take a seat. Instead the boy sat down by the fire; his food went untouched as he stared at it in wonder. The heat warming his face and hands. Bofur meanwhile sat by him – reaching out and arm to move him back before he burnt himself.

"This is great," Nori mumbled through a mouthful of food. Balin took a huge bit from his own plate, savouring the taste as it flew through his mouth and down his throat. The others all nodded and Balin looked down at Ori to see the boy stuffing his face. The others laughed whilst Dori shook his head,

"Eat properly Ori," he said, "We're guests here,"

"Ah it's all right Dori," Balin sighed happily, "We aren't exactly the best eaters ourselves,"

Dori nodded before a smile played on his lips,

"Do you remember when Fili and Kili came last year?"

Balin groaned at this. He remembered that night only too well. He'd spent a good hour that night cleaning the walls from where the food fight had reached the furniture. Not that he really minded. In his view Christmas was a happy time; if food fights made people happy then who was he to argue. Dwalin chuckled,

"When their mother came to get them she was livid," he smiled at his friends,

"I've never seen her that angry before," he wiped his eyes, "What was it she said?"

"Food goes in your mouth not on the walls," Dori finished. He took both his empty plate and Nori's to go and get second helpings,

"I wonder how Thorin will cope with those two," Bofur said dryly. Balin chuckled to himself,

"It'll be a night to remember that's for sure," his gaze once again turned to Ori who had discarded his plate and was instead flicking through one of the books he had no doubt brought with him. As he looked at the pages Balin leaned over and brought out an old biscuit tin from behind his chair. Ori gave him a shy smile before taking several colouring pencils from it and settling down to colour in the pictures. As Dori smiled at the boy Balin's attention was drawn to the window by his chair. Although it was almost pitch black outside he could still see the fast flurry of snow blowing about in the cool breeze. As it began to settle on the ground he hoped it wouldn't be too deep to keep him housebound tomorrow. He'd made plains to go and see Oin and Gloin and spend Christmas with them. Although Oin's car would be big enough to get through the snow if the worst came to the worst.

* * *

><p>None of them noticed when the clock struck midnight. Ori was curled up on the sofa; his head on Dori's lap and his eyes shut tight. Dwalin meanwhile was snoring to his heart's content. Nori and Bofur were clearing the plates away and Balin was still watching the snow fall. It had slowed down a little but he had no doubt there would be in for a white Christmas. Only when the chimes stopped ringing did people finally come to their sense. Dwalin stretched out before looking at his watch,<p>

"By my beard," he muttered, "I'd better be off,"

"Aye," Dori gently nudged Ori who sleepily got to his feet, "He should be in bed really."

Balin nodded before bending down and giving Ori a big hug,

"Merry Christmas laddie," he ruffled his hair before clapping both Dori and Nori on the back.

"Happy Christmas Brother," Dwalin shook his head warmly before jamming his hat on and forcing his way outside. Balin followed him as far as the pavement and as he watched Dwalin get in his car and drive off he was aware of Bofur standing behind him,

"Merry Christmas Bofur," Balin hugged his old friend closely and Bofur grinned,

"Merry Christmas…hope you like the present by the way. We brought it with you in mind,"

At this teaser Balin raised an eyebrow and Bofur gave a theatrical bow before heading off towards his own car. Balin stood there on the pavement for a few second before watching his friends drive away. As the last of the headlights vanished into the darkness he pulled his jumper around him and headed back to the warmth of his house.

_**Hope everyone liked Balin's chapter. I never normally dedicate any of my stories but I want to dedicate this to my granddad as I used to go to his house every Christmas eve and they'd be food and a nice warm fire and sadly those Christmas eve's won't happen again so this is a little thank you to him.**_

_**As ever let me know what you think.**_


	3. All I Want For Christmas

_**Big thanks to CHH-666 and for following/favouriting. Hope BOFTA wasn't too upsetting for those who've seen it and I'm apologising in advance for any feels this story has.**_

_**AN: In this story Kili is 40 (10 in human years) and Fili is 45 (11 in human years)**_

Fili stared at the figure of his younger brother lovingly. He'd followed Kili to the archery range just as he did every day. It wasn't much; just a few targets of different shapes and sizes. Some were closer than others. But as Kili was the only dwarf in Ered Luin – the only dwarf in Middle Earth in fact – who actually used a bow it served its purpose. Kili took up his stance like it was second nature and before Fili even had time to blink the younger dwarf had already picked up the bow and nocked his arrow. There was a slight flurry of snow in the air and Fili could see small flakes of the stuff dotting Kili's dark hair. However his brother took no notice as he drew his arm back and aimed at the closest target. Fili didn't even hear the bowstring move. The arrow flying through the air was little more than a blur and the only reason he knew it had hit its mark was because Kili was the one shooting.

"Very nice brother," Fili grinned at the smug expression on Kili's face,

"Although it's not much of a challenge if you get the closest and biggest target is it?" he winked at Kili who shrugged before reaching for another arrow,

"I didn't notice you managing it," he grunted before pulling the bowstring back even further. Fili could see Kili's arm tense under the strain and for a split second he wondered if his brother would be able to make the shot. He practised every single morning except for the two months their mother had banned him from even going near the archery field after hearing him saying a rather unsavoury word. The sight of his mother's bright red face still put a smile on Fili's mouth whilst the memory of his ban would make Kili pout. As the arrow slammed into the furthest target Fili rolled his eyes as Kili turned and gave him his sweetest smile. It was also the smile he used to say _'told you so'._

"You don't always have to come with me," Kili added suddenly. Fili arched an eyebrow at this. Without saying a word Kili put the bow down and headed towards him,

"I'm forty years old Fee…I'm sure even I can get from our room to here without incident,"

Fili reined in the urge to snort at this. However, as he saw the corners of Kili's mouth twitch the impulse became too much and he let out a slight snigger. As he tried to hold back his own laughter Kili shook his head,

"Very well," he admitted, "But even so…you must have better things to do?"

"Not really," Fili shrugged, "Besides. The one day I don't come is the day you'll do something really stupid and I won't be standing there to watch,"

"Exactly," Kili grinned, "Which is why you don't have to come,"

Fili shook his head good naturedly as his little brother turned and grabbed his bow again. After another half an hour of watching Kili shoot Fili's mind began to turn to other things. Yulemas would be on them in a few weeks and he still had no idea what to get Kili. He'd run several ideas past Thorin and his mother but none of them seemed…right. For Fili, Yulemas was a special time of year when it came to Kili. He'd almost never made it past his first one having been born so early. Fili remembered how for the first few years of Kili's life his mother would wrap him up in so many furs it was a wonder he could breathe. But he'd somehow made it through the first tough few years and looking at him now; no one would have had any idea he'd been born early. But that aside, he was Fili's brother and he deserved something special,

"I knew I was amazing but I didn't realise how much so," Kili nudged him and Fili shook his head absentmindedly,

"Hmm?"

"You were staring into space," Kili narrowed his eyes, "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Fili eyed the archery targets that were peppered with holes, "I take it you're done?"

Kili nodded before taking another look at the practice bow he'd been using,

"Wouldn't mind one of those myself,"

"What?" when Kili shook his head Fili grabbed him by the shoulders,

"What Kee?"

"Well…I wouldn't mind having my own bow," Kili whispered, "I know uncle still isn't keen on the whole archery…thing. But I'm good at it! Much better than I am with a sword. And I have my own sword so why not a bow?"

Fili's brain almost exploded as Kili finished talking. His eyes lit up and he wrapped an arm around his brother as the pair began heading inside. Already the snow was thickening and Fili snorted as he saw that the very top of Kili's hair had gone from dark brown to almost white. His laughter faded however when Kili shook his hair out; spraying the snow all over Fili.

"I'll talk to Thorin about the bow," Fili nodded confidently; the warm feeling in his heart growing as Kili's eyes lit up with excitement. Before his brother could even think about jumping up and down Fili placed a calming hand on his arm,

"I can't promise anything…but I'll talk to him tonight okay?"

Kili nodded before wrapping his arms round Fili's neck. The force of the hug was so sudden that Fili stumbled backwards slightly. Kili gave a meek smile,

"Thanks Fee,"

Fili sighed as Thorin eyed him closely before turning to look at Dis, who gave a small shrug,

"Come on uncle," Fili pleaded, "Kili's brilliant at shooting. He deserves a decent bow of his own,"

Thorin gave an absentminded nod and – not for the first time – Fili wondered if Thorin was even listening to him.

"Uncle…"

"Who would make it?" Thorin's gaze remained on the fire and Fili already had his answer on the tip of his tongue. He'd gone over the whole argument in his head before deciding to speak to Thorin. Fili had learnt from experience that the best way to get your own way with his uncle was to have a full proof argument,

"Balin can. He made the practice bow for Kili didn't he? All he has to do is make him a slightly better one. I can get all the materials he needs," Fili added as he saw the question in Thorin's eyes,

"Let him do it brother," his mother said softly, "You promised Kili he could continue archery if he practiced every day. Well he gets up every single morning to go to that archery field _and_ spends most of his nights out there before going to bed. The least we can do is give him a good bow to use,"

As Thorin looked from him to his mother Fili could see the answer in his uncle's eyes. As Thorin nodded Fili grinned ecstatically at his mother,

"Thank you uncle!" he was about to leave when he remembered something else,

"Can you not tell Kili?"

"What?" Thorin looked almost perplexed by his request, "But the bow's for him isn't it?"

Fili nodded, "But don't tell him you've said yes. I want it to be a surprise for him,"

Without letting the others answer he ran from the room. It was a long way to Balin's house and Fili only had a couple of weeks to make his brother the best bow he'd ever seen. He was running so fast he didn't notice the dark blur heading straight towards him. As the two brother crashed to the floor together Fili did his best to straighten out his smile before pulling Kili to his feet,

"Are you alright?" out of habit he began looking his brother up and down for any injury. Kili pushed his hands away and Fili swallowed nervously,

"So I spoke to uncle,"

"And?" the light in Kili's eyes was so huge that Fili wondered if he was doing the right thing. Sighing he shook his head in the hope he looked disappointed,

"I'm sorry Kee. I couldn't convince him,"

As Kili's face fell Fili instantly pulled him into a hug. He had never lied to his brother before and his previous words felt like they were digging into his heart. Kili gave a weak sniff before stepping away from Fili,

"Maybe if I spoke to him…" he started. Fili shook his head. If Kili spoke to Thorin then there was a chance that his huge surprise would be revealed,

"I tried Kee…he said maybe next year?" he added this in the hope it would at least lighten Kili's spirits. His brother gave a small smile,

"It's better than what I expected I guess,"

Fili opened his mouth when Kili turned and headed off down the street. As he watched his forlorn brother walking off Fili wondered if he truly was doing the right thing. He hated seeing Kili upset even if it would just be for a few minutes. But to know that he had caused this – even if it was in a good cause – felt far worse than he could have ever expected.

"Fili?"

Fili spun round to see Balin staring up at him. The old dwarf gave him a kind smile and within seconds Fili's mind was back to his plan,

"Balin…I need you to do me a favour."

The weeks passed by in a blur. Before he even knew where he was Fili realised it was the day before Yulemas. He ran a hand through his hair. He'd been so busy trying to keep the bow a secret as well as getting the materials and helping Balin that he'd barely spent any time with Kili. The last time he'd even had a chance to speak to him had been over a day ago. Usually he and Kili were inseparable and to not be near his brother ached. Even reminding himself the reasons behind all this wasn't helping. He'd been forced to fob Kili off with excuses for his behaviour; lie to him and make out like he was busy. As the days went on Fili was always one step closer to telling Kili the truth as he saw the sadness on his brother's face. When he realised Yulemas was now only a day away he forced himself to relax. Only a few more hours then it would all be over, and Kili would be happy again.

Unfortunately he had another problem to contend with. Balin had finished the bow a few days ago and had even had the time to make a matching quiver. But after seeing the finished product Fili realised there was no way they would get it from Balin's workshop to their house. If Kili didn't see it by accident then someone else would. Fili wanted this to be a complete surprise for everyone. Also the dwarves of Ered Luin were incredibly fond of gossiping with each other. Fortunately for Fili the solution to this problem was present to him by Thorin. Fili had been staring absentmindedly out of the window; wondering how on earth he was going to smuggle the bow back when he heard Kili grumbling behind him. With an apologetic smile he turned to see both his brother and Thorin. As ever Fili felt a pang of guilt. He hadn't spoken to Kili all day and he had a horrible feeling he was giving the impression he didn't want Kili around anymore. However, right now Kili's sadness was focused on something else,

"Fili tell him Yulemas is for celebrating not studying!"

Fili frowned at Thorin who winked behind Kili's back. Not noticing the change in Fili's face Kili continued,

"I've got to spend two whole hours reading up on dwarvish history! I can't even do half an hour on that!"

Fili bit his lip as he risked a glance at Thorin before smiling at Kili,

"Well you wanted to know what it was like training to be the next King under the Mountain,"

Sure enough Kili pouted before following Thorin from the room. Fili breathed a small sigh of relief before heading off to find Balin.

When he woke up on Yulemas morning Fili rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked over to see Kili jumping up and down by his bed,

"Happy Yulemas Fili!" he beamed and Fili wondered how on earth his brother could still smile at him. Pushing himself into a sitting position he smiled back,

"Happy Yulemas Kee," he barely had time to say anything else before his eyes lit up and he jumped out of bed. Kili seemed almost taken aback by the sudden movement but Fili ignored this as he grabbed his hand and pulled him into the main room. His mother and Thorin were already sitting by the fire with huge smiles on their faces. Fili's own smile grew when he looked at the confusion on Kili's face,

"Shut your eyes," he said. Kili opened his mouth but Fili shushed him,

"Just shut your eyes,"

As Kili complied Fili ran into the next room and came back carrying the bow in his arms. He waited until he was standing in front of his brother and he could hear Thorin struggling to hold in his laugh.

"Okay you can look now,"

When Kili opened his eyes he frowned at Fili's face,

"What…" his eyes trailed down and his jaw dropped as he looked at the sleek bow in Fili's hands. It was dark brown with thin black fabric in the middle to give a comfortable grip yet keep the bow as streamlined as possible. The string was thin but strong and as he passed it to his brother Fili could feel tears welling up in his eyes and Kili examined it closely before staring at him,

"It's so beautiful," Kili whispered before frowning, "But…you said…you told me he said no!" Kili gaped at Thorin, who shrugged,

"I wanted it to be a surprise for you," Fili said softly, "I nearly ended up telling you half a dozen times,"

"Why?"

"I saw how upset you were with me not around. I know I had too much to think about but I couldn't bear to see you sad."

Without saying a word Kili threw the bow to the ground and enveloped Fili in a fierce embrace. As he returned the hug Fili finally let a couple of tears slide down his face,

"A brother like you is all I want Fee," Kili sniffled. Fili couldn't help it. He burst into laughter before looking his brother in the eye,

"Happy Yulemas Kili."

_**Awww yet another sweet Yulemas story. I won't deny I got a bit emotional with this one given it's about my favourite Durin boys! As ever let me know what you think.**_


	4. It's Beginning to look like Christmas

_**Big thanks to emmakmc and soytejana for following/favouriting. **_

_**Nuka – Glad you found it funny and as for the feels I can only apologise.**_

Dori gazed anxiously at his younger brother who had curled up into a small ball by the fire. It had been three months since his father had been killed in an orc attack. Leaving Ori in the care of his two older brothers. Dori remembered having to sit down with Nori and try to explain to their younger brother - who was only five years old at the time – why their father wasn't going to be coming home. After sitting and staring up at them with his wide eyes Ori eventually clung onto Nori's leg – almost afraid that if he let go he would lose another family member. Looking now at his younger brother Dori couldn't help but give another sigh of frustration. It would be Yulemas soon. The first one without both of their parents and Dori was determined to make it just as special for Ori. As the front door flew open - letting a gust of freezing cold wind – Dori didn't even bother to see who it was. As Nori's head popped into view Dori tried to supress his scowl; Nori had taken to stealing since their father died in the hope of taking some of the strain off Dori. If anything it made things worse for the older dwarf. Instead of worrying about how they would get through the winter; Dori spent most nights waiting to hear that Nori had been caught and thrown in jail.

"How is he?" Nori threw a cloth bag by Dori's feet. It landed with a small, soft thud and although he was curious, Dori resisted the urge to look inside it and instead looked up at his younger brother,

"He's fine," Dori wished he hadn't snapped just then. He knew Nori always had Ori's best interests at heart. But right now Dori felt as though the whole earth was pressing down on his shoulders. Trying his best to ignore Dori's temper, Nori knelt down by Ori and gently brushed his hair from his face before reaching for the bag,

"I found something for his Yulemas present," Nori pulled out a thick bundle of fur from the bag before gently unwrapping it; all the while checking on Ori to make sure he didn't wake up. Dori leaned forward, his interest sparking as Nori pulled out a red, leather bound book. He handed it to Dori, who flicked through it, frowning at the blank pages

"He's always reading," Nori explained in a hushed voice, "and writing. So I thought he'd like something to write down his own stories in,"

Dori nodded slowly before handing it back to Nori who wrapped it up in the furs,

"Where did you get it," he asked harshly; knowing the answer to the question the second it came from his mouth. He understood why Nori had turned to stealing and Dori couldn't help but admire that fact that his brother was willing to do it for the sake of the family. But at the same time he couldn't allow himself to fully condone what Nori did. When it came down to it, stealing was wrong and – if caught – Nori would be in jail; leaving him to take care of Ori by himself. However, as he asked his question Dori was surprised to see Nori raising an eyebrow,

"I didn't steal it if that's what you mean," he hissed, "I saved up a little bit of money and brought it. You can ask Bifur if you don't believe me," he added, "He was there when I brought it,"

Dori nodded slowly, "I…I'm sorry Nori….it's just…I mean you do steal most things and…"

Nori waved his apology away; a grim smile on his face,

"I know brother,"

Dori gave a grateful nod, "I just want it to be special for Ori. He's been like a ghost since father died. I just want to see him smile again,"

"Hey," Nori came over and wrapped and arm around Dori's shoulder,

"You will see him smile Dori. You're the best brother anyone could wish for. You'll make Yulemas special for us. I know you will,"

At the confidence in his brothers words Dori felt the weight in his chest lighten by the merest of inches.

* * *

><p>The next day had left a slight frost on the ground and Dori sighed as he realised he was going to have to spend the whole day standing in the freezing cold. Pulling his fur cloak on over his coat he watched Nori wrap up before heading out. What his brother did <em>all<em> day Dori didn't know. If it was anything remotely worse than stealing then he didn't actually want to know,

"Dori?"

Dori felt something tugging at his trousers. Looking down he saw a bright tuff of ginger hair and Ori's face gazing up at him,

"Can I come work with you today?" his voice was so timid and his eyes so wide that under any other circumstances Dori would have said yes in a heartbeat. However it was far too cold out there for any young dwarrow to be outside. Ori was thinner than most and therefore at a greater risk,

"_Please_!" Ori tugged again on his trousers and Dori sighed. He hadn't been happy at the thought of leaving Ori at home again and it would at least make the day a little more interesting. Bending down so he was at eye level with his brother Dori nodded,

"If you promise to behave," he held up a hand as Ori's eyes lit up, "_and_ wrap up warmly,"

Ori nodded so fast Dori thought for a second his head would roll off. As his younger brother ran off to find a thick coat Dori waited patiently by the door. Although he hadn't said anything to him, Dori couldn't deny that Nori's idea for Ori's Yulemas present had been pure genius. Ori had been scribbling on scraps of paper and parchment ever since he'd been taught how to write.

"Dori?" At the sound of Ori's voice Dori held out a hand which his baby brother clung to greedily. Bracing himself for the biting cold air Dori flung the door open and pulled Ori out into the street. The market place was only a few streets away and most of the dwarves were still no doubt inside their own homes; waiting for the cold to ease off slightly before making any journey today. Even so Dori pulled Ori close to him and it wasn't until he got to his market stall that he finally let go of his brother's hand.

"Now then," he looked Ori closely in the eye, "I need you to stay here okay. Don't go wandering off and if you have to go somewhere I want you to tell me first okay?"

Ori nodded and Dori gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before turning round and setting his stall up.

* * *

><p>The day flew by fast for Dori. As soon as the sun came out and the cold air faded, the dwarves appeared almost out of nowhere. Within less than half an hour people had clustered round his stall. It wasn't the most exciting of stalls; only selling pots, bowls and plates. But for some reason everything was in demand at Yulemas and Dori found himself almost unable to cope with the amount of people. As he spied a familiar star shaped head in the crowd he could have crushed his brother to death as he dragged him towards the stall,<p>

"Another pair of hands," Dori breathlessly explained. Nori nodded and as the day wore on Dori found himself having to close early when his last bowl had been purchased. Rubbing his hands together to keep them warm Dori gave his brother a grateful smile,

"Now back to our warm home and a brother who's no doubt asleep," Nori grinned but Dori shook his head,

"I brought Ori with me," he turned around – expecting to see Ori sitting there patiently. However, when he found himself looking at empty space panic set in. For one moment he wondered if Ori was playing a joke on him. Hiding until Dori managed to find him. However when he looked around at the emptying streets Dori could feel his chest tighten and not even Nori's calming hand on his shoulder did anything to calm him,

"Where is he?" he swallowed the lump in his throat, "He was right here!"

"Listen," Nori spun him round, "He can't have gone far. We'll find him,"

Dori nodded as the guilt began to build in his chest. He knew he should have left Ori at home. He wasn't able to keep a proper eye on him at work and of course Ori would have got bored and wandered off. Pulling his coat further around his body Dori quickly packed up the rest of his stall before hurrying after Nori down one of the many streets that led from the main square. Ered Luin was a huge place – full of many tiny alleys and side streets. Ori could have ended up in any number of different places and there was no guarantee they would even have time to search everywhere. Already it was growing dark and as the air began to grow cold Dori realised that if they didn't find Ori before nightfall then the chances of finding him alive and well would have almost halved. More thoughts began crowding his mind and it was only Nori's calming voice that kept him firmly fixed in the real world,

"It was my job to look after both of you," Dori whispered sadly, "I couldn't even do that,"

"Hey?" Nori frowned and Dori sighed,

"You took to stealing to help us get by and now I've lost Ori!"

"Listen to me," Nori spun him round and gripped his shoulders hard,

"No one ever expected you to be perfect at this. It's not your fault I'm a thief – the blame for that is mine. As for Ori…he's young and inquisitive. Of course he'll want to go exploring for himself at some point. It doesn't make you a bad brother,"

Dori nodded shakily and Nori eyed him closely one more time. The pair were about to carry on walking down the street when they heard the sound of laughter coming from one of the alleyways on the left. Among the voices was a very small and very familiar voice,

"ORI!" Dori almost throttled Nori as he threw his arms around his neck. The younger dwarf pushed his brother away before the pair ran towards the voices. As they turned a corner Dori's shoulder sagged with relief as he saw the small figure of Ori sitting in a corner with Fili and Kili. The dark haired dwarfling was only a few years older than Ori but his leaner body made him look almost the same age. The trio were busy talking amongst themselves and as they fell silent Dori realised his presence had been noticed. Ori looked up at him guiltily. He opened his mouth when Dori knelt down and enveloped him in a hug,

"Don't scare us!" he held Ori by the shoulders. His brother nodded slowly, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the ground,

"Sorry Master Dori," Fili got to his feet, "It was our fault,"

"We asked Ori if he wanted to play with us," Kili added, looking up at Dori and Nori with his big brown eyes. Dori ignored Nori's chuckling and instead got to his feet and allowed the three dwarflings to lead the way back to the square. As they went Fili, Kili and Ori never stopped talking among themselves and as he saw a glimmer of a smile of his youngest brother's face Dori finally allowed himself to relax ever so slightly.

"Fili! Kili!"

As the two brothers faces fell Dori smirked at the figure of Dis heading straight for them; the look on her face no doubt matched the one Dori had worn a few hours ago,

"There you are!" she had her hands on her hips and both Fili and Kili looked at each other guiltily as Dis carried on her rant,

"You had me worried sick! Anything could have happened to you and I wouldn't have had any idea!" she looked up at Dori with a hint of a smile,

"Sorry about that Master Dori. I take it you're the one who found them?"

"Err well," Dori said modestly. However Nori was already nodding and Dis gave him a grateful smile before holding her hands out to her sons. As they edged towards her she gave Dori another smile before gently clouting Fili and Kili around the head; ignoring their annoyed cries.

"Mum?" Kili tugged on Dis's dress and she smiled down at him while stroking his hair,

"Can Ori come and have dinner with us on Yulemas,"

Dori turned bright red at this whilst Dis smiled warmly at him,

"I don't know my dear. It depends if Master Dori has already made plans. Have you?" she asked him. Dori shook his head; trying to think up of a firm but polite way of turning down the offer. When his father had died he had sworn he wouldn't let people treat him like a charity case. However Ori was smiling at the thought and even Nori had a shine in his eyes. Shaking his head good naturedly Dori smiled at Dis,

"I would be honoured to accept your offer," he said warmly. Dis nodded before grabbing her sons by the hand and dragging them away. As she walked off Dori could still hear her ranting. Meanwhile he looked down at Ori who was clinging onto his hand,

"It's going to be a really good Yulemas Dori!"

_**Okay so I hoped everyone like Dori's chapter there. Not fully happy with how it turned out but there you go. Let me know what you think.**_


	5. 5 Winter Wonderland

_**Thanks to everyone who is still reading this and special thanks to DreamElm76 for following and favouriting.**_

_**AN: I don't own any of Tolkien's characters just the ones I have invented.**_

Dwalin folded his arms in annoyance as he looked at the snow covered landscape. With most of the dwarves of Ered Luin you couldn't judge based on appearances. Although they looked like grouchy, irritable people; at Yulemas everyone wandered around with huge smiles on their faces. Dwalin couldn't go anywhere without hearing the sound of laughter and – from some of the younger dwarves – snatches of songs. Dwalin never joined in with them. Instead he simply kept his head down and carried on with whatever it was he was doing. He was no doubt the only dwarf who didn't even crack the smallest of smiles at Yulemas. Even Thorin – the king in exile – smiled more than Dwalin did. Of course Thorin had his sister and two nephews to make him smile; although more often than not Fili and Kili ended up making their uncle groan with annoyance at their countless pranks. If he didn't have any other family then Dwalin's irritable manner would have been excused by the rest of his kin. But the fact that he had three brothers, one sister and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins meant that the warrior dwarf's behaviour was always seen as…odd.

As more flecks of snow began to appear in the sky Dwalin sighed as he heard his older brothers cheerful voice float through from the other room,

"Come on brother. Growling at the weather won't make it go away ye know,"

Dwalin turned to see Balin smiling kindly at him. Of all his family, he was the only one who put up with Dwalin's grumpy face and bad temper. The rest of the family simply stayed at out his way – something Dwalin wasn't too bothered about. He shook his head at Bain before taking another look outside,

"Everything else goes away when I growl," he muttered childishly and he heard Balin snort with laughter at his words,

"Aye well this is one battle ye're going to have to withdraw from,"

As Dwalin turned away from the window and moved towards the roaring fire he sneaked a glance at his brother. Balin lowered his eyes nervously and Dwalin's curiosity was soon roused,

"What? Come on what is it?"

Balin sighed and Dwalin knew he wouldn't like what his brothers next words were going to be,

"Kal wants ye to look after Halin for her,"

Dwalin's eyes widened at this and before Balin could get another word in he shook his head,

"No."

"She's asked everyone else," Balins aid gently as though that would make it any better,

"Ye _were_ her last choice,"

Dwalin shook his head. It wasn't that he didn't love his nephew. He loved all of his family far more than they assumed he did. But he didn't know the first thing about looking after dwarflings. He would have pointed this out to Balin but he knew his brother would have come back with a remark clever enough for Dwalin to back down. There was way he would let his brother have the last word. Instead he folded his arms and shook his head again. Balin gave a disappointed sigh,

"Well I'm afraid ye don't get much say in the matter. I already said yes,"

Dwalin opened his mouth to shout something at Balin when he heard the sound of Halin's hurried footsteps outside. As his nephew banged loudly on the door Dwalin saw Balin wink at him out of the corner of his eye.

* * *

><p>Dwalin looked over at Halin who was sitting patiently by the fire. The young dwarf had his mother's dark hair and blue eyes and for a split second Dwalin almost believed he was looking at his baby sister for a second. Only when Halin pulled out a wolf carved out of wood did the illusion vanish. Kal had never had much interest in wooden toys unlike her brothers who hadn't been able to keep their hands off them. Dwalin recognized the wolf as one of Bifur's many creations and it always amazed him how skilled the dwarf was despite his…handicap. Taking another look out of the window Dwalin could see the snow was far higher than it had been in the morning and the bright sunlight streamed through the window; lighting Halin up in a pale light. Blinking suddenly the dwarfling looked over at the window and a huge smile broke out on his face as he saw the view,<p>

"Snow!" he jumped up and down excitedly and began tugging at Dwalin's fur coat,

"Can we go and play uncle Dwalin?"

Dwalin opened his mouth. The 'no' already on the tip of his tongue. Having already been lumbered with his nephew he knew it was far easier to look after Halin when he was in the house. That way Dwalin could leave him to his own devices and still keep an eye on him. If they went outside then not only would Halin want to play with him but the pair of them would be at risk of attack from wolves or Orcs. However, as he looked down and saw a huge pair of pale blue eyes staring up at him Dwalin could feel his resolve weaken ever so slightly. Halin almost sensed this because he tugged on Dwalin's fur coat again,

"Please uncle? I'll be good?"

It was the way he made it sound like a question rather than a promise that struck Dwalin. Giving a reluctant shake of the head he watched as Halin instantly dropped the toy wolf and began pulling his own furs on. Like the rest of his family he was big for his age and Dwalin wouldn't have been at all surprised to see him learning how to wield and axe in a few years' time. Pulling on his thick snow boots and grabbing his axe just in case Dwalin shook his head fondly at Halin as he opened the door and ran outside into the street cheering madly.

* * *

><p>The snow was thick and heavy by the time they arrived at the edge of the fields surrounding Ered Luin. Despite Halin's protests Dwalin refused to go any further. If they were attacked then the closer they were to their kin could make all the difference between life and death. After realising Dwalin wasn't going to back down Halin began running around the snow; kicking it everywhere and laughing as his boots were soon coated in the crisp white stuff. When the novelty of that wore off he lay down in the snow and began moving his arms and legs up and down – making various snow shapes. Dwalin watched all of this from a distance and when he saw the snow covering his nephew he found himself worrying about Halin catching cold. The thick furs covering his nephew would protect him against most of the cold; but lying for ages in the snow meant that even the thickest protection wasn't full proof. Dwalin was all ready to go over and make sure Halin was alright when something small came flying out of nowhere; striking him in the stomach. Doubling over Dwalin ran his hand along his middle – checking for blood when he heard Halin's laughter. As he looked down at his snow covered coat Dwalin gasped as another snowball hit him in the leg. Shaking his head he frowned at Halin who had another one ready in his hand,<p>

"Come on uncle! I bet you can't hit me," he laughed before throwing the snowball. This one missed and Dwalin shook his head at his nephew,

"We should be going," he shouted back. Halin's face fell as he began making yet another snowball,

"But we've only just arrived!" he whined. At once Dwalin was reminded of Kili. Thorin's youngest nephew was by no means spoilt but he had mastered the art of getting people to give in to him and it seemed that Halin had almost mastered Kili's art. As those blue eyes gazed longingly at him Dwalin shook his head again. To his surprise Halin then tried a different tactic,

"I suppose it's because you're old!" he yelled – hands on hips - "You wouldn't have the strength to hit me,"

Dwalin gaped at his nephew who gave him a cheeky smile. He rolled his eyes dramatically. He hadn't known his nephew had inherited his mother's ability to push his buttons. Dwalin sighed to himself. There was no way he was going to let Halin have the last word. Besides; his brother would never let him live down the fact that he had been all but beaten up by a dwarfling. Bending down Dwalin grabbed a huge fistful of snow and threw it in his nephew's direction. The force knocked Halin off his feet and for a horrible second Dwalin thought he'd done his nephew a serious injury. However, as Halin brushed himself down and threw a snowball in Dwalin's direction an odd feeling came over the older dwarf. Even though he was being peppered with snowballs; Dwalin couldn't stop himself from smiling and within minutes both he and Halin were running around like young dwarves. Pretty soon Dwalin found himself to be winning the fight as Halin's throws started to get messy and he could see his nephew was starting to get tired. Dropping his last snowball Dwalin ran over to his nephew, who threw his arms round his stomach and hugged him tightly,

"Uncle Dwalin?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you normally so grumpy?" Halin asked with an innocent look on his face. Dwalin frowned at his nephew before shrugging his shoulders,

"Someone has to be the sensible one in our family. It seems that role was plonked on me," Dwalin ruffled his nephew's hair before taking his hand. Halin's skin was like ice and Dwalin gripped it hard to try and keep it warm.

"We should go. Ye ma will be getting worried about ye,"

Halin nodded and clung to Dwalin as the pair began walking back to Ered Luin. They had only made a few feet when Dwalin's ears pricked up at the sound of footsteps behind them. He gripped Halin and held the boy close against him whilst pulling his axe off his back,

"Uncle Dwalin…"

"Shush!" Dwalin hissed, "Keep quiet,"

Holding his axe in one hand and his nephew in the other Dwalin slowly turned around. Halin gave a frightened gasp and Dwalin pulled the boy against him. He watched the small group of Orcs at the edge of the forest. They hadn't noticed him yet but Dwalin knew that wouldn't be the case for very long. He looked down at Halin and gave him a reassuring smile,

"When I say run," he whispered as loud as he dared, "Run!"

Halin nodded and the pair began backing away when a chilling howl could be heard from another part of the forest. All at once the Orcs looked at the pair and Dwalin could hear his nephew's frightened cry,

"RUN!"

Both he and Halin turned and began forcing their way through the thick snow that had gone from being a source of amusement to a death trap. Dwalin knew the Orcs would be on them before too long and it was taking all of his effort to force himself to run through the snow. Every so often he looked over at Halin and his heart stopped as he saw his nephew struggling to even walk in the snow never mind run. Peeking over his shoulder Dwalin saw a thin Orc raising its swords – getting ready to bring it down on the young dwarfling. With a warrior's roar he turned and pushed Halin behind him; swinging his axe through the air and slicing the Orc in two. Halin didn't make a sound as the snow became soaked with black blood and without even looking at his nephew Dwalin pulled a knife from his boot,

"Take this," he growled,

"But I don't know how to use it,"

"Well," Dwalin shifted his grip so he held his axe with both hands, "Ye'd better learn quickly,"

Another – smaller Orc – lunged at him. Dwalin dodged the blow and struck the Orc in the back of the knee. Its howl shook his ears and before the Orc could make another sound Dwalin brought the axe down on its head and as the Orc gave a dying scream Halin stuck the knife in its chest for good measure. Risking a glance at his nephew Dwalin noticed how calm Halin looked. Almost as though he was used to this kind of violence. Dwalin turned his attention back on the Orcs. Only one was left now – at least he could only see one more. The Orc held two large carving knives and despite his shorter height it didn't take Dwalin long to finish it off. Wiping the sweat from his brow he turned to check if Halin was alright when he heard his nephew's hoarse voice,

"Uncle…"

Dwalin had already raised his axe at his nephew's voice. As he turned to see a short and very fat Orc advancing on the shaking form of Halin Dwalin didn't even think about it. With a shriek he threw himself at the Orc. Striking it full on with the edge of his axe. The Orc kicked out at him but Dwalin landed his own kicks as he tried to sink his weapon further into the creature's body. With an almost venomous hiss the Orc dropped dead on the ground and Dwalin looked over at Halin who was crouching by his feet. A thin gash covered his forehead but other than that he seemed alright. He was even finding the effort to crack a small smile. Dwalin stroked his hair gently,

"Are ye alright?"

Halin nodded and Dwalin bent down and gently pulled the boy onto his back. As Halin wrapped his thin arms around his neck Dwalin gripped him as though he was his own child.

* * *

><p>When they arrived back in Ered Luin Dwalin was aware of people watching him and Halin. It was no surprise than when they arrived at his house both Balin and Kal were waiting anxiously for them. As Halin ran over to his mother her face paled at his injury,<p>

"What happened?" she looked at Dwalin as if it was somehow his fault. Dwalin opened his mouth when Halin pulled on his mother's dress,

"Uncle Dwalin killed the Orcs ma. He saved my life,"

Kal looked over at him and Dwalin gave a nervous shrug, "I wasn't going to let them hurt him was I?" he couldn't keep the hurt from his voice. His sister gave a small nod before kneeling down to have a look at her son,

"I'll take you to see Oin," she murmured before taking Halin's hand. Just as the pair were about to leave Halin gave Dwalin a big smile and the warrior dwarf shuffled his feet,

"If ye ever want someone to look after him again," he called out to his sister, "I wouldn't mind. It's be company at least,"

He ignored Balin's knowing smile.

_**Hope everyone enjoyed Dwalin's chapter – he doesn't get enough love in the fanfiction for me really so it was nice to see his more caring side.**_


	6. Blue Christmas

_**Thanks to littlenori for following/favouriting.**_

_**Delovlies – Thanks for the great review – was a bit nervous as I've never done a Dwalin fic before. Christmas songs are my favourite so I couldn't resist using them as titles.**_

I see my life as having two halves to it. Or in other words I've had two lives. There's before the accident. And then there's after the accident. No one knows why the Orc's axe didn't kill me. It should have killed me given how hard it was stuck in my head. If Oin had ever managed to pull it out I'm sure it would have killed me.

But it didn't. I'm still alive and I will forever have an axe sticking out of my head.

In the days after finally coming round Bofur never stopped visiting me. He always wore that cheerful smile of his – a smile that used to make me laugh and smile with him. Only behind the smile I could see the pity and the sadness as he looked at my head. Bombur never looked at my head. He was always too busy showering me with plates of food – half the time he'd help himself. I didn't really mind seeing as I was never very hungry. All I wanted was to be back in my old bed in the house I shared with my family. As much as I was grateful for everything Oin had done for me; I couldn't stay in the infirmary for much longer. Every time someone else came in I could see their eyes widen as they looked at the axe. If Bofur or Bombur were with me they'd ward off the stares with fierce glares. But they weren't there the whole time.

I can't remember exactly when I finally went home. Bofur came in one day with a bigger smile than usual,

"Ready to go home Bifur?" he grinned. I was the only person he ever spoke to in Khuzdul. I'd rejected Bofur's many offers of teaching me the common tongue. I'd tried to learn it once but failed. Although given that I wouldn't be able to work for a while I could always have another go. It would give me something to do at any rate. I nodded at his question. I still hadn't gotten used to my stammer. Oin had told us all that the axe had damaged something in my head and it would take me a while before all of my senses were back to normal. I wasn't too bothered about any of that. I just wanted to be able to talk again. And by that I meant talk properly. Not take forever to form the words and then stammer over them anyway. Bofur packed up all of my things and after thanking Oin countless times he and Bombur finally led me out into the streets of Ered Luin.

"B…Bofur," I said shyly, "I…I'm…ner…nervous ab…about people's…reactions."

I had never been shy before in my life. Neither had I ever stammered so much. Even in the first few days after waking up I'd managed to put a sentence together – just. Bofur gave me a reassuring smile and Bombur pulled me close,

"Don't worry," he said so the dwarves passing wouldn't hear him. Already I was being shot odd looks,

"If anyone says anything they'll have us to answer to," to try and make me feel better he handed me a pork pie. I knew they were his favourite and he never gave them up under any circumstances. Although I had no appetite I knew what this meant to Bombur and so I pocketed the pie with a gruff smile. Bofur put a comforting arm around me and pulled me off in the direction of our house. We passed a couple of children on the way; they were running in the street and no doubt driving their mother crazy. As they saw us coming they slowed to let us past. Bofur flashed them a smile and they smiled back. Of course they would. He was the resident toymaker and therefore a firm favourite of the children. As their eyes slowly strayed to me I forced a smile on my face. As they saw the axe the smallest clung to the other one and let out a small whimper. Bofur frowned but before he could say anything both children and run off. I hadn't missed the look of fear in their eyes.

"Ignore them Bifur," Bombur gave me a firm nod before pushing me into our small house. Bofur nodded in agreement but already my brain was a mess of thoughts. I'd only been outside for less than half an hour and I'd managed to scare someone. There was no way I'd be able to cope with over a hundred years. Looking around the main living room I saw Bofur had already got a fire going and before I could say anything he forced me into his chair. Like everything else it was old and worn but right now there was nowhere else I'd rather be,

"The…they were…sc…scared of…me," I swallowed nervously and my hand gingerly reached up to my forehead. The cold metal of the axe was still a shock to me and as my fingers brushed against it I flinched. Of course they would be scared of me. I had never been the nicest of dwarves to look at but now I had something protruding from my head I looked like a monster. Nothing more than a freak.

"Hey now," Bofur glared at me, "It's because they aren't used to it. In time they won't be scared,"

"Aye," Bombur nodded; already his mouth was stuffed with food. Although I could tell my cousins were trying to make me feel better they somehow had ended up making me feel worse. Of course I didn't say that to them; instead I just nodded slowly. With a satisfied nod Bofur sat down opposite me and jabbed at the fire with a poker,

"Cheer up Bifur," he smiled softly, "At least ye're still with us,"

I didn't know how to respond to that so I kept quiet,

"And it'll be Yulemas soon," Bofur added, "Ye can't be sad at Yulemas,"

He was right as well. Despite my gruff manner I'd was a little bit of a softie at Yulemas. Of course helping Bofur out in the shop didn't help. With all the children pouring in it was impossible not to have a permanent smile on your face. I'd been looking forward to working in the shop this year but I knew one look at me would have the children running straight back to their ma's.

"I might…st…stay home this…time," I spoke quietly in the hope he wouldn't actually hear me. However I'd forgotten how good my cousins were at paying attention and when Bofur began shaking his head I knew he'd heard me,

"Ye can't stay cooped up in here by ye'self. At least go outside for a walk. It'll do ye good Bifur,"

He then gave me a pleading stare. How could I resist those eyes and that gentle smile that had never left his face from the moment I first saw him way back when he was nothing more than a wee baby?

But of course I didn't have an axe in my head then. I shook my head firmly before getting to me feet and heading for the kitchen. Already my head was aching – something Oin had warned me about – and I wanted nothing more than a lie down. Of course if I mentioned this to the others then they would start fussing over me again when all I really wanted was to be by myself. I didn't want their sympathy or their pity anymore.

* * *

><p>The days flew by as far as I was concerned. Every day was exactly the same. I'd refused to leave the house even though Bofur had told me not to let the reactions of two children stop me from living my life. But every time I got anywhere near the door I found myself sitting back by the fireplace. If I saw a dwarf with an axe in his head then I'd be scared of him. I couldn't blame people for having that reaction towards me. No doubt many of them thought I should be dead and that me being alive was unnatural. Not that it mattered. I was too scared to look at my own reflection. Therefore I'd made a vow not to step outside.<p>

Unfortunately Bofur and Bombur had other ideas.

I knew he'd forgotten it deliberately. Bofur never forgot anything and when I saw he'd left behind some of his tools I knew what his plan was. He wanted me to go outside and bring them to him. If those tools hadn't been vital for his work then I would have just stayed where I was. I might have an axe embedded in my skull but I wasn't stupid. Unfortunately I knew that Bofur would need those tools to create the master pieces he saved for this time of year. He always seemed to be trying to outdo the previous year and me and Bombur were waiting for the one year he wouldn't be able to do that. Scowling I grabbed my winter coat and Bofur's tool bag before taking a deep breath and stepping outside.

It was freezing.

The ground was covered in a thin sheet of ice and a slight flurry of snow could be seen in the sky. The area of my head where skin touched metal felt like it was going to freeze for good and I made a mental note to get myself a hat like Bofur's to keep me warm. As I made my way through the streets I kept my head down. If I could get there and back unnoticed then I knew I'd be alright. It seemed to be working. No one really gave me a second glance apart from some of the older dwarves who knew me far too well to not notice me. However they merely nodded in greeting before going about their business.

"Give it back!"

The child's voice caused me to forget everything and look up. Down one of the narrower streets I could see a small boy jumping up to try and grab something from a bigger dwarflings hand. He was surrounded by at least half a dozen other children – all bigger than he was.

"Give it _back_!"

"Make me," the one holding the toy leered. The small boy clenched his fists and shoved the older one backwards. He was too small to have done much damage although he must have had some strength as the boy staggered back a little before dropping the toy and flexing his own muscles.

"Do that again and you'll regret it," his voice was dark and I could see the smaller boy backing away as the other closed in around him. I completely forgot about bringing Bofur his tools and instead found myself running towards the small group.

"Hey," when they didn't look up I shouted a little louder, "HEY!"

That caught their attention. The one who had been holding the toy frowned at me and sure enough his eyes widened as he saw the axe. For once I thanked Mahal it was there.

"Leave….him alone. Pick on…on some…one you're…own size," of all the times to be stammering it would have been now. Some of the others began backing away although the ringleader took another look at the axe. I shook my head before and idea came to me,

"I keep this…this axe here…for safe…keeping," I began reaching up as though I was going to pull it out. All at once the boy's legs began trembling and he could barely run away fast enough. Without giving him a second glance I bent down to pick the toy up. I recognised it as one of Bofur's works – a small dragon with movable wings. On closer inspection however I found that one of the wings had been broken. As I handed it to the boy he bit his lip before looking at me,

"Thank you,"

"Bifur," I bowed, "At yer service,"

"Bungo," he said shyly, "At yours," his eyes brightened, "Aren't you the toymakers brother?"

"Cousin," I corrected him. I didn't understand why he didn't seem bothered by the axe. Bungo clutched the dragon against his chest and I held out a hand,

"I'm on my way to see him now. Why don't we see if he can fix your dragon for you?"

It took him a while before grabbing my hand. As we began walking down the street. Several people gave me soft smiles and a few patted Bungo on the head. None of them took any notice of the axe and it puzzled me a little. As we reached Bofur's shop my cousins eyes almost popped out his head as he saw Bungo clinging onto my hand,

"I see ye brought them then?"

I shook my head at him and he laughed,

"I need something to get ye out," he looked at Bungo, "And I see yer making friends as well,"

As Bungo handed over the dragon I saw my cousin give me a sly wink out of the corner of my eye. It didn't take him long to fix it. Within half an hour the dragon was as good as new. Bofur handed it to Bungo, who shook his head and pointed to me,

"I want to say thank you," he smiled shyly, "For earlier,"

As he all but threw the toy into my hands I found myself with a lump in my throat. Determined not to cry in front of Bifur I cleared my throat before giving Bungo a gruff smile. The boy grinned before running from the shop. I didn't have time to say anything before Bofur smiled warmly at me and threw an arm over my shoulder,

"Ye never cease to surprise me," he drawled. I couldn't help but laugh along with him.

_**So then – this was Bifur's chapter. I wanted to look at how life was for him STRAIGHT after his accident. Hope you guys don't mind the first person only it seemed to fit more for Bifur's character as we don't seen much of him in The Hobbit. As ever let me know what you think and less than ten days until Christmas guys!**_


	7. Simply Having A Wonderful Christmastime

_**Big thanks to Ionawen and LonanunielDurin for following/favouriting.**_

_**Delovlies – Aww glad you found it cute.**_

_**Nuka – Thought first person POV fitted Bifur well as he doesn't do much in The Hobbit.**_

Nori scowled at her reflection in the mirror. The only words she could use to describe her outfit were red and green; green tights, a bright red and green dress with red boots to complete the whole look. Nori had to thanks her lucky stars she didn't have to wear a hat unlike the rest of her co-workers. The manager had decided that her star shaped hair was unusual enough for her to go without the hat. Not that her brothers hadn't stopped teasing her when she brought her outfit home. Ori had almost wet himself from laughter whilst Nori stood there and scowled,

"They never said I would have to do this when I applied for the job!"

Dori took a deep breath in an effort to compose himself. The clothes were a far cry from Nori's usual ripped jeans and checked shirts.

"It's only for a couple of days," he reminded her, "Plus it'll be an extra couple of hundred pounds. Surely that's incentive enough,"

"Just because I'm one of the shorter ones," Nori grumbled before heading upstairs to try on the clothes. Both brothers had tried to get a sneak peak but Nori was determined they wouldn't see her until work – if she could help it she'd rather them not see her at all. It was going to be bad enough getting on the bus and walking through town. Her friends knew that she was pretending to be an elf in Santa's grotto but Nori didn't trust Fili and Kili to see her like this and stay quiet for one moment. If anything they'd no doubt tell the whole school about her. Not in a malicious way but just to provide some entertainment for everyone else.

When her first day came Nori had pulled her outfit on whilst muttering as many curses as possible under her breath. Although he didn't mind her language too much; Dori was adamant that she didn't curse when Ori was about. He didn't complain about her smoking so she allowed it to go. Fortunately however both brothers weren't awake and she managed to make it to the bus without coming across anyone she knew. For safety's sake however she'd 'borrowed' Dori's bug duffel coat. The tights weren't thick enough to keep her legs from freezing and Nori had no wish to get frostbite just for the sake of a few kids.

* * *

><p>The shopping centre was jam packed with families. Nori had managed to get to the huge toy store without any mishaps and when she saw several other people dressed in equally stupid outfits she felt marginally better. Of course the second her boss had seen her she'd been forced to plaster a smile on her face before heading over to the makeshift grotto. It wasn't much to Nori's eyes. Just a small tent that had been designed to look like a gingerbread house. Fake snow covered the floor and candy canes stood at the entrance. Nori bit back her laugh as she saw Balin sit down on the throne by the tent. Given his white beard and twinkly eyes he was an ideal choice to play Father Christmas. Now that she was seeing him in the outfit Nori was almost tempted to believe the real Santa was sitting right before her eyes. She would have gone up to him and cracked a joke when an elf's hat was shoved into her hands. Nori eyed the sweets before looking over at her manager,<p>

"Give one to each child. Just one," he added. Nori bit down her scowl before taking another look at the sweets. The temptation to take just a couple was almost overwhelming. There were so many that there would easily be enough to go round. Her hand was hovering towards the hat when her manager spun round and Jabbed an accusing finger in her direction. With her best look of innocent Nori shrugged her shoulders before standing back as the first child came running towards her.

* * *

><p>As the day wore on Nori swore that if she heard another Christmas song she'd scream. It was only the fifth of December for crying out loud! Surely they didn't need to go as mad as all this? She had resisted the urge to look at her watch all day and as she saw the queue of children dwindling Nori flicked her wrist and sighed as loudly as she dared. She had one more hour to go and then she would be free. Of course if no more children came then she'd be able to leave early and get rid of this ridiculous outfit. Looking round Nori saw her fellow elves seemed slightly fed up as well. It wouldn't have been so bad if they could have had a break. But no, three whole hours of just standing and handing out sweets to kids who never even bothered to say thanks. More often than not she had been reduced to thinking about the extra wages she'd been getting at the end of the week. It would only be an extra couple of hundred but it was better than what she got the rest of the year.<p>

"Hi,"

Nori almost jumped at the voice behind her. Looking round she saw a boy about her own age leaning against the fence. His caramel coloured hair brushed over his eyes and he gave her a shy smile. Nori recognized him from earlier when a similar looking woman had come in with a little boy with black curly hair and bright blue eyes. She'd noticed the boy but she hadn't realised he'd noticed her as well,

"Hey," Nori wasn't sure what to say. What did you say when talking to a boy whilst wearing an elf costume? Thankfully the boy seemed a little on edge as well and Nori noticed his fiddling with the ends of his burgundy waistcoat. Although it wasn't really her sort of thing it suited the boy and more than ever Nori wished she was wearing her normal clothes. Then she would at least have a chance of impressing this boy, who was now staring at her thoughtfully with hazel eyes,

"I'm Bilbo," he stuck out a hand and as she saw the worry in his eyes Nori gently shook it,

"Nori,"

He nodded and it was only at this moment did Nori actually start to wonder why Bilbo was even here.

"Can I help you?" she hadn't meant it to sound snappy and when Bilbo gave a nervous flinch she softened her gaze. He ran a hand through his hair,

"I'm a friend of Fili and Kili," Bilbo explained. Nori tried to rack her brains as he said this. She remembered Fili talking about a guy he and his brother had known when they were younger although he'd never gone into details. Bilbo cleared his throat,

"Anyway we were meeting up in town and they said you'd be here and that I should meet you," Nori smirked at the pink tinge in Bilbo's cheeks,

"They said look out for an elf with star shaped hair," he smiled at her and Nori found herself blushing at this. Of course Fili and Kili would be involved with this. Nori looked over at the now non-existent queue and as she saw the others heading off she looked over at Bilbo, who was biting his lip,

"What time do you finish?" he asked suddenly, "I mean… they wondered if you wanted to hang out for a bit? If you have time I mean,"

He looked so nervous that Nori couldn't help but feel sorry for him. With a slightly odd smile she held the elf hat out to him; there were still some sweets left in and Nori didn't think her manager would mind too much. Bilbo took a couple out and offered one to her. Nori shook her head before plunging her own hand in the hat,

"Give me ten minutes to get changed," she was glad she'd decided to bring her normal clothes to change into afterwards. Bilbo nodded,

"I guess I'll…well I'll wait for you here then,"

* * *

><p>When she came back out Nori knew that if it wasn't for her hair then Bilbo wouldn't have noticed her until she was right by him. Now that she was out of that stupid outfit and back into a purple jumper and ripped jeans she looked almost normal again. When he did notice her Bilbo blushed and Nori could feel her own heart-warming slightly as he grabbed her hand to avoid losing her in throng of people pushing their way through the shopping centre. As they walked Nori was content to hold Bilbo's hand and only when she saw the figures of Fili and Kili did she let go; their teasing she could do without today.<p>

"Bilbo!" Kili cried at the same time Fili said "Nori!"

As the two hugged her Nori could see a playful look in Kili's eyes as he winked at Bilbo,

"You found her then?"

"Elf with star shaped hair," Bilbo shuffled his feet together, "Narrows it down a bit,"

"So then?" Fili put and arm around Nori who rolled her eyes at his smile,

"What do you think of her?"

"What…oh well…" Bilbo stammered. "I mean I've only just met her…"

"He's right," Nori pushed Fili's arm off her and gave Bilbo a warm smile; completely noticing how much he blushed,

"If someone asked me to judge you guys on first impressions I'd have run for the hills,"

Fili burst into laughter whilst Kili gave her a forlorn look,

"And I thought you liked us," he gave her a mock whine and Nori shook her head before linking her arm through Bilbo's,

"So are we going to stay here or actually go somewhere? Preferably somewhere warm. With food,"

"Ah the key to a girls heart," Fili said jokingly, "Food, food and food."

"I think you mean," Nori butted in, "The key to _everyone's_ heart?"

* * *

><p>Nori had never laughed so much in her life. She had always assumed she would never find anyone funnier than Fili and Kili. That was until she met Bilbo. He had far more amusing stories to tell her; most involving a very young Fili and Kili and when the pair begged him to stop Nori would simply elbow them in the ribs and tell Bilbo to carry on. She was aware that his eyes never left her face – even when he was talking to the others. And Nori was also aware that she blushed every time he spoke to her. When it was time for her to go Bilbo offered to drive her home and Nori accepted; making a mental note to get Fili and Kili back for their smug faces. The drive back to her house was originally silent and Nori couldn't help but feel awkward. Bilbo clearly felt the same because after a few minutes he put the radio on. Nori groaned when yet another Christmas song started playing and Bilbo reached to turn it off when she shook her head,<p>

"Leave it. I've only heard it three times today," she winked at him and she grinned,

"So then…an elf?" he questioned. Nori shrugged,

"It's a bit of extra money. I'll need it when I go uni next year. It makes wearing the costume a bit bearable,

Bilbo nodded thoughtfully, "I personally thought you looked great," he didn't blush this time although Nori did. Unsure of how to respond she looked out of the window; only talking to Bilbo when she had to direct him. He didn't push her for conversation and when they pulled up outside her house Nori wondered if he was going to say anything to her at all. She was about to push the car door open when Bilbo reached out to grab her arm,

"I was…I mean could I…could I have your number?" he stammered. Nori nodded and pulled out her phone. As Bilbo added her to his contacts she noticed how he never once pushed his hair away from his eyes. She was glad he didn't – it made him look far more endearing.

"Do you want to come in for a drink?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself,

"My brother's always making tea so they'll be enough for another one,"

Bilbo's cheeks turned bright pink once again but he nodded. Neither said anything as they walked up to her house and Nori let him in.

* * *

><p>December flew by faster than Nori realised. She met up with Bilbo at least twice a week and when they weren't meeting up they would text or call each other. After the initial meeting with her brothers Nori was happy when Dori gave Bilbo his approval. Even though they weren't a couple it still pleased Nori to know her brother liked her new friend. All Ori commented on was the fact that she hadn't had a cigarette in almost a month. She'd been about to smoke one in front of Bilbo when he'd admitted he hated smoking. Since then Nori had been doing her best to quit. She'd told her brothers not to let the corner shops sell them to her and when she was with Bilbo she checked endless amounts of gum and mints.<p>

"This lad must be something special," Dori said one evening,

"You've never tried to quit for anyone before him,"

Nori didn't say anything. She was going to see Bilbo on Christmas Eve to give him his present. It wasn't much, just a card and some chocolates. But it was better than nothing. Nori was more worried about Bilbo seeing her when her hair wasn't in its usual star shape and instead hung limply on her shoulders. It was freezing that night and when Bilbo arrived at her door his whole body was shaking. Presents were forgotten as Nori made him a cup of tea, a hot water bottle and wrapped Doris' dressing gown around him. He nodded gratefully and when she handed over her present his eyes widened,

"You didn't have to," he smiled warmly at her and Nori shrugged,

"It's Christmas. I wanted to,"

Bilbo began blushing as he pulled out his own present. He hadn't wrapped it and when Nori saw the jewellery box her heart slowed for a second. With hesitant fingers she opened it to reveal a hollow star on the end of a silver chain. When she looked up she saw Bilbo watching her face,

"Do you like it? I wasn't sure but Dori said you liked stars."

Nori blinked as she realised the lengths Bilbo had gone to for this present. Without saying a word she hung the necklace round her neck and watched as the star nestled on her shirt,

"It's beautiful," she whispered, "Thank you,"

Before Bilbo could answer she pulled him in for a hug. He gasped suddenly and as they let go she could tell he had a question burning in his mind,

"After Christmas…did you fancy going to the cinema?" Nori nodded and Bilbo took a deep breath,

"As in like…a date?"

Nori had never been speechless in her whole life until this point. Bilbo gazed at her with his soft eyes and Nori found her unable to say anything. Instead she leant against him gently and interlinked her fingers with his before kissing him on the cheek,

"I would love to Bilbo," she whispered. He beamed at her before resting his head on top of her hair and when a Christmas song came on the radio Nori didn't complain once.

_**Hope nobody minds the whole fem Nori/Bilbo thing. It's one of my fave parings and I wanted to try and write one myself which I really enjoyed doing.**_


	8. Last Christmas

_**Okay so I'm not 100% pleased with this instalment but here we go.**_

Oin pulled his thick coat around him as he made his way through Erebor's many halls. Although the mountain offered shelter from the biting wind it was still freezing cold and Oin had spent the past few days handing out warming tonics and hot mugs of tea to many of his latest patients. Gloin himself had been in only a week ago to ask Oin if he had anything for Gimli's chest cough. Oh, and did he want to spend Yulemas with the family this year?

Of course Oin had said yes. He and his brother were closer than most siblings and when he saw Fili and Kili together, Oin was often reminded of when he and Gloin were younger and just as mischievous. So when Yulemas Eve arrived Oin shut up the infirmary and headed over to Gloin's house with presents in one hand and another bottle of tonic for Gimli. As he made his way through the mountain Oin was thankful he'd lived here before Smaugs attack. His hearing might have been going but his memory was sharper than it had ever been. Many of the younger dwarves still got lost on the odd occasion whereas Oin could have got to his brother with his eyes shut. Although given that he couldn't hear anything that wasn't a very practical idea.

"Evening brother!" Gloin opened the door to his house with a warm smile and Oin returned his gesture. Although both of them were getting on a bit there was still a twinkle to be seen in Gloin's eyes and Oin was thankful for Brimli's calming presence on his brother – if Gloin hadn't met her then he would have no doubt remained the troublesome dwarfling who could have given Kili a run for his money. As Gloin stepped back to allow Oin in, the old healer looked around the warm house with a grateful smile. In the main living room he could see Brimli standing by the roaring fire. Beside her stood what could only be described as Gloin's younger self. Gimli was the spitting image of his father and every time he looked at the young dwarf Oin could still remember the night of his birth. The look of pride on Gloin's face as he'd held his new-born son in his arms. A son who had grown to be just as fierce a warrior as Gloin was,

"Well don't just stand there brother," Gloin pushed him towards the fire and it was at this point that Brimli and Gimli looked over at the pair. As Oin was all but forced into a comfy armchair he saw Gloin smile at him,

"A person in your time of life needs all the rest he can get," he spoke loudly as Oin held up his ear trumpet. When he caught the end of Gloin's sentence Oin shook his head good naturedly whilst Gloin pulled the other chair to the fire and sat by him,

"How's Gimli?" Oin leant over and handed Gloin the bottle of tonic. With a grateful nod Gloin took the bottle,

"A lot better for seeing you brother," he sat back in his chair,

"Looking forward to tomorrow?"

Oin nodded with a sly smile on his face, "Let's hope it's not as eventful as _that_ Yulemas,"

Gloin barked out a laugh, "Aye ye right there brother. I don't think my leg could cope with that again,"

Oin shook his head before staring at the fire as the memories flew round his mind.

* * *

><p>"<em>Oin!"<em>

_Oin looked up as his mother made her way towards him. Clinging to her hand was his little brother and as he saw the look in his mother's eyes Oin tried to suppress his scowl,_

"_Ma?"_

_In response his mother all but threw Gloin towards him and Oin looked down at his brother. If it hadn't been for the difference in age then they could have easily passed for identical twins. Both had dark ginger hair and dark eyes; although Gloin was far more of a fighter than his elder brother. Not that Oin wasn't skilled with a blade – but everyone could tell his younger brother had much more of a fight about him whereas Oin seemed more willing to solve things by talking and working them out. Many of the Erebor dwarves assumed he was 'going through a phase' and that he would sooner or later come around._

"_I need you to look after Gloin for a few hours," his mother said crisply, "There are a few more things I need for Yulemas dinner and I can't have him with me all the time,"_

_Oin shuffled his feet awkwardly. He did love his little brother but wished his mother wouldn't just throw this sort of thing on him,_

"_I was going to meet up with Balin," Oin hated the fact that he sounded whiny. Although Balin was a good few years older than him, Oin liked Dwalin's older brother and the two of them had a fair amount in common. As he should have expected Oin got no sympathy from his mother who simply moved towards the door,_

"_It'll only be for a couple of hours," she tutted before patting him on the shoulder,_

"_You can always see Balin another time,"_

_If he'd thought he'd have a small chance of winning then Oin would have readily carried on his protests. However he could tell when he was beaten and his mother gave him a hurried smile before all but running out of the door. Oin sighed when he felt Gloin tugging at his sleeve. As he looked down at his brothers innocent face Oin couldn't help but find it in him to smile. Gloin seemed to have that effect on people; until he got a sword in his hand and then the cuteness vanished in less than an instant. As Gloin pulled on his sleeve again Oin shook his head,_

"_Come on," he grabbed his coat before wrapping another one around his brother and leading him towards the door. He might have to babysit his brother but he had no intention of not seeing his friends. At the prospect of going out Gloin's face lit up and as he shut the door behind him Oin noticed how his brother all but clung to him. Although his face was almost a mask inside he was bubbling with happiness at the small gesture._

* * *

><p><em>When he finally found B<em>_alin Oin was starting to wish he'd stayed indoors. The markets were a mass of dwarves on a quiet day and the fact that Yulemas was almost around the corner meant that things hadn't gotten any quieter. As they'd walked along Oin had been forced to stop every five seconds for Gloin to look at one of the stalls. Although he'd been able to see some nice things he fancied for himself Oin had eventually dragged his brother away down one of the quieter halls._

"_Oin!" Balin had his usual smile on and as they neared Oin could feel Gloin tugging on him. Looking down he knew his brother wanted to go back to the market and a flash of inspiration hit him. _

"_Gloin? If you promise to be good how do you fancy going to the market by yourself?"_

_Gloin grinned at him and Oin took his hand,_

"_Meet us back here in two hours okay?"_

_Kneeling down to his brothers height Oin pressed several coins into Gloin's' hand,_

"_That's all you're getting so don't spend it all at once," he figured that Gloin would be okay by himself. He was old enough to look after himself after all. Gloin's face lit up and before Oin could say anything else he'd already started running towards the market place. With a good natured sigh Oin turned to see Balin watching him,_

"_Is that wise?" The older dwarf wasn't patronising him; just acting as the friendly voice of guidance. Oin nodded,_

"_He'll get bored soon and then run back home," with a firm nod he looked over at Balin,_

"_Speaking of younger brothers?"_

_At this Balin rolled his eyes and as he launched into another tale of "What Dwalin almost ruined" Oin had to force himself not to choke on his laughter._

* * *

><p><em>The hours flew by and before he knew where he was Oin realised his mother would have finished her shopping by now. He and Balin were heading back towards the market and it was only at this point did he realise that Gloin wasn't standing there waiting for him. Although a flutter of panic began to build in his chest Oin forced himself to remain calm – remembering the countless times he had been late because he got lost or distracted or even both. However, as the minutes flew by and there was no sign of his brother the worry began to grow. Balin placed a calming hand on his shoulder,<em>

"_Maybe he went home," he said softly; knowing that the last thing Oin needed was more panic. Forcing himself to keep calm Oin nodded and the pair began forcing their way through the market. It was packed even tighter than usual and above the general hub pf noise Oin could make out people's frantic cries and calls for help. Although he knew it would have been quicker to head down one of the back alleys Oin found himself being drawn towards the mounting chaos and as the crowds seemed to be gathering around something his curiosity began aroused,_

"_What's happened?" he tapped the shoulder of a fat dwarf with blonde hair. The dwarf shrugged,_

"_Several market stalls have collapsed. Someone ran for the healers but there's a couple still trapped,"_

_Oin's stomach dropped. He didn't need to see the damage to know that Gloin was involved. He could feel it in his gut. Ignoring Balin's calls he shoved his way past everyone until he could see the chaos for himself. Three market stalls had somehow caved in on top of each other. Several dwarves were sitting by the wreckage with blankets and bandages but Oin could see two more were still stuck under all the wood. One was a thinner version of the dwarf he had just spoken to and the other one was Gloin. Ignoring everyone else Oin ran forward and grabbed his brothers hand,_

"_What happened?" he stroked Gloin's forehead and his brother gave him a weak smile,_

"_My leg hurts Oin," he whined. Pressing a kiss to his brother's hair Oin cursed himself for his stupidity. He should never have let Gloin out his sight. When his mother found out she would kill him. Gloin whimpered and Oin shushed him gently,_

"_Don't worry brother. You'll be alright," he looked around,_

"_Why haven't you got him out?" he shouted. Several dwarves looked at each other guiltily,_

"_We tried," one said, "But he kept lashing out and said he wanted his brother,"_

_Oin bit his lip before giving Gloin a warm smile, "Is that true?"_

_Gloin nodded and Oin got to his feet before grabbing his brothers arms,_

"_I'm going to pull you out now," he said in a warning tone. Gloin nodded and lay completely still. With a deep breath Oin pulled his brother from the mess and Gloin cried out as his injured leg was knocked against the wood. As he helped his brother into a sitting position Oin looked up to see two huge dwarves pushing through with healing bags in their hands. As one sat down beside Gloin, Oin noticed his brother never let go of his hand. He squeezed it gently and as the healer looked his leg over Oin could see the pain in his brother's face,_

"_Don't worry. You'll be fine,"_

_Gloin nodded, "I won't tell ma if you won't?"_

* * *

><p>"Oin?"<p>

Oin looked up to see Gloin watching him carefully,

"What did you say?"

"Are ye alright? Ye were staring into space for ages," Gloin frowned but Oin just shook his head,

"Just thinking," he smiled, "Remembering old times,"

Gloin gave a satisfied nod, "I know just what you mean."


	9. Holly Jolly Christmas

_**Big thanks to anamelinda for following.**_

_**Nuka – I wasn't originally going to have a gender swap but I thought I'd try it out to see what happened.**_

Bofur looked around his empty toy shop with a look of despair. In the recent months business had been slowly drying up. He guessed kids were more interested in technology than in well- made toys. However he hadn't been too worried. After all; every business did better at Christmas time and he'd been certain that there would still be parents who would want to buy their children toys for Christmas. Whilst he _had_ had more customers than normal it still wasn't enough to stop the worry from building up in his chest. The bills would need paying in January and although he had enough money saved, Bofur knew that things were going to get tighter as the months wore on. Nearly all of his friends had advised him to sell the shop to someone else and use the money to set up a new business. There had been many nights were Bofur had agreed with them. If the shop hadn't belonged to his parents then he would have sold it in a heartbeat. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. It was the last proper thing he had that connected him with his father. Neither Bifur nor Bombur had shown any interest in taking over and it was the only thing that Bofur had ever had in common with his father. By selling it he would be throwing all of that away. He'd tried explaining it to people but they simply gave him patronising nods before changing the subject.

As the doorbell rang Bofur's smile perked up; only to fall when he saw Bifur in the doorway. His brother gave him a shy smile before heading towards the counter.

"How are you?" As usual Bifur spoke slowly in an effort to get his words out properly. He'd never been the most talkative of people anyway but since his accident it was considered a miracle of he gave you more than three sentences. Bofur shrugged – trying not to show Bifur how upset he was. Although he'd been doing his best to deny it he knew that within six months the shop would be gone. As ever Bifur gave an understanding nod.

"Lock up and come round mine. Bombur's doing some fancy pasta dish." Bifur leant on the counter and Bofur sighed. He knew he shouldn't. Chances were he'd lock up and then people would want to buy something. It's what always used to happen in the old days. Someone would come rushing in about five minutes before he was about to shut up for the day. However he and Bifur both knew the chances of that happening today were slim to none. With a slow nod Bofur grabbed his hat and coat before pulling out his keys and shutting the door behind him and his brother as they stepped out into the cold street. With a look of wistfulness Bofur placed a hand against the shop window whilst Bifur placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Things might pick up next year." He said brightly. Bofur shook his head.

"Doubt it. No I think it's finished Bifur." Despite everything Bofur gave his brother a smile. He couldn't explain why but he found it almost impossible to go without smiling for very long. As he and his brother began walking down the street Bofur looked at the other shops they past. All of them had lights and fancy decorations up. Compared to them, his own shop went completely unnoticed by any passers-by. If he had any creative talent at all then Bofur would have been putting up his Christmas decorations halfway through November. Christmas was by far his favourite month of the year and not just because his birthday was on December 1st. Shaking his head Bofur looked up to see Bifur staring at the shops thoughtfully.

"What is it?"

Bifur shook his head and Bofur didn't press him. Even though they were family Bifur very rarely opened up to him and the last thing Bofur wanted was to push his brother even further into his shell. In an attempt to take his mind off something else Bofur allowed Bifur to talk about what Bombur was cooking tonight. Their cousin was always trying out new recipes from every chef he saw on the TV and more often than not Bofur and Bifur were the lab rats. However, despite everything Bofur couldn't keep his mind from his shop. He knew something needed to be done.

And soon.

* * *

><p>The next day was a Sunday and when Bofur offered to out and get the shopping Bifur had all but pushed him out of the door. When Bombur had been about to leave for work Bifur had told him to call in sick. He hadn't answered his cousin's questions and had instead picked up the phone to see if Fili and Kili were awake. The pair had been spending the night at Thorins and although it was almost eleven in the morning Bofur had a feeling the pair would still be asleep. So when he heard Fili pick up he was momentarily stunned.<p>

"Hello?" Fili did sound very sleepy and Bifur swallowed nervously.

"Are you busy today?"

"No." Bifur heard Kili in the background and the younger brother sounded even more tired than Fili did.

"I need you to meet me outside Bofur's shop. I'll explain when we get there."

"Okay but…" Bifur put the phone down on a very confused sounding Fili. Bombur stared at him and the stare continued as Bifur grabbed his coat and wallet.

"Bifur…" Bombur followed him to the door. "What exactly are you planning?"

Bifur didn't respond. Instead he tapped the side of his nose before asking Bombur where he could find lots of tinsel.

* * *

><p>Bifur never answered any of Bomburs questions as the pair hurried through the streets; each carrying two bags filled with Christmas decorations. As he saw the figures of Fili and Kili standing outside Bofur's shop Bifur was glad he'd asked his brother to give him a spare set of keys a few years ago. He'd never used them until now and last year he'd even been tempted to give them back. Thanking his lucky stars he hadn't done that Bifur waved away Fili and Kili's questions before unlocking the door and ushering everyone in.<p>

"Bifur?" Kili rubbed his eyes before leaning against the counter.

"Not that I don't mind but why exactly are we here?"

Bifur rubbed his hands excitedly.

"How good are you at putting up decorations?"

"That depends." Fili winked at Kili. "If you want to blow the whole shop up then get Kili to do the lights."

As Kili gave his brother a playful shove Bifur rolled his eyes. Seeing he was serious Fili gave him a nod.

"Okay I guess. Why?"

The day flew by far faster than Bifur had expected. As the tallest he let Kili and Fili hang up the tinsel and paper chains whilst he and Bombur hurried about the shop putting up paper snowflakes on the counter and the windows. Although he was no artists Bifur had made sure to pick out as many bright colours as possible. It was Christmas after all. For all of Fili's joking everyone stood back whilst Kili balanced precariously on a chair to fit the lights to the celling. After a few seconds where Bifur expected the brunette to fall off everyone's eyes lit up as Kili flicked a switch and bright reds, blues, greens and purples lit up the shop. Straight away everything seemed brighter and yet at the same time it was still tasteful.

"So what now?" Bombur looked around at the transformed shop. After only a few minutes everyone could see the transformation that had taken place. The shop looked far for festive now and as he pulled the inflatable snowman out of the bag Bifur ignored the stunned looks of the others.

"And that's going where exactly?" Kili looked around and Bifur could see the pride in his eyes as he looked at all his hard work. Both Kili and Fili certainly had a good eye for things creative. Beckoning them back outside Bifur handed the snowman to Bombur.

"Off you go."

Bombur huffed but nevertheless took the snowman and began doing his best to inflate it. Fili, Kili and Bifur stood by the shop and with a look at Kili Bifur handed him some more lights.

"Up you go."

Kili swallowed before looking over at Fili who shook his head before bending over slightly so his younger brother could climb onto his back into order to reach the shop sign. As the final decorations were put in place Bifur's smile grew and grew by the second. Bofur was going to get the biggest shock of his life when he opened up tomorrow.

* * *

><p>Bofur was very rarely left speechless. As well as a constant smile he had a talent for constantly talking. However when he saw the queue of people outside his shop half an hour before he was due to open the sight almost knocked him back. Pushing his way to the front he gaped at the brightly coloured lights and the snowman by the door. Putting a trembling hand in his pocket he swiftly unlocked the door and stepped back to allow the customers in first. Although he heard the excited gasps from a few of the younger children he had no idea what they were looking at until he entered the shop himself. As he saw the decorations he couldn't help but feel tears spring to his eyes.<p>

"Excuse me." Bofur was dragged from his trance by a young woman holding a brightly coloured wooden dragon in her hands. He looked at the toy proudly. The dragons wings moved and its tail moved up and down in a fairly realistically manner.

"How much for the dragon?" the woman fixed him with a smile and Bofur nodded before hurrying round to the back of his counter and opening up the till. As several more people made their way into the little shop Bofur had a sudden panic that people were going to get crushed. As the woman handed over her money and told him to keep the change the smile on his face brightened so much that he was in danger of overpowering the lights. As more and more people began queuing up at the counter – all with toys in their hands – Bofur looked over at the shop window. As he saw Bifur, Bombur, Kili and Fili all smiling in at him he ignored the tears that welled up in his eyes as everything clicked into placed. Bofur bit his lip; there was no way he'd be able to repay his family and friends for what they'd done.

When it came to closing time Bofur looked around his shop. The others were still waiting outside for him and as he joined them outside they all looked over at Bifur proudly.

"You did this?" Bofur gaped at his brother who shrugged. Without saying another word Bofur wrapped his arms round Bifur and pulled him close.

"Thank you!" Bofur gasped as he let go of Bifur who blushed madly. "Honestly I can never thank you enough."

"Oh I don't know." Kili winked at him. "You could always buy us a round at the pub?"

Although Fili elbowed his brother Bofur nodded.

"By all means." He linked arms with Bifur who was still blushing.

"That should get more people in your shop over Christmas. Maybe even enough to keep it going for a bit longer?"

Bofur nodded at his brothers words. He knew deep down in his heart that his shop had only a few years left at the most. There would come a day when he would be forced to shut up shop and do something else.

But that day wasn't today.

_**Awww! Yet another cute Christmas story for you all. As ever let me know what you think.**_


	10. When A Child is Born

_**Thanks to Thilbo4Ever for following.**_

Gloin stared at the slim figure of his wife who was standing by the fire. Brimli smiled warmly at him and Gloin looked down at her stomach.

"Are you…is it true?" he could barely talk all of a sudden. It was like he was a little boy all over again. Brimli nodded and Gloin gave a sudden whoop of delight before running to his wife and holding her close.

"I'm going to be a father!" he shouted as he swung Brimli round. She laughed gently before tapping his shoulder in order to be set back on her feet. All of a sudden Gloin stared at her stomach in horror and she did her best to bite down her smirk.

"You won't have squashed it Gloin. I doubt it will have even felt it."

Gloin nodded whilst his head ran round and round in circles. He would be a father. His wife was going to have a child.

"This is…"Gloin couldn't speak. Brimli placed a gentle hand on his arm and as they heard someone knocking on the other side of the door Gloin could barely move fast enough. He wanted to tell everybody about it; everybody and anybody who passed him. Their house wasn't much. Since they'd been forced to live in the Blue Mountains none of the Erebor dwarves really had much. But it was enough for starting up a family and right now that was all that Gloin cared about. When he finally reached the door Gloin wasn't surprised to see his brother standing there. Oin frowned at the look on his brother's face but before he could even say hello Gloin grabbed his by his coat and pulled him inside.

"Brimli's with child." The words sound better every time Gloin thinks about them. Oin's face widens with glee as he looks from his brother to his sister in law and then back to Gloin. He knew how long the pair had been trying for a child and to see their efforts finally come to something pleased the healer far more than anything ever could. Children were precious to dwarves. Far more precious than all the jewels, gold and silver that could be found in the mines. Far more precious and so much rarer. As he took another look at his wife who was busying herself in the kitchen Gloin could already feel the protectiveness building up inside him.

* * *

><p>The months slowly began to roll by. As the leaves on the trees began to turn from green to red Gloin eyed his wife nervously. She was only half way through her pregnancy but already you could see her swollen stomach. Every night before going to sleep Gloin would gently place a hand on Brimli's stomach in the hope he would feel his child moving beneath his fingers. So far however he hadn't even felt the slightest of kicks and although she told him this was completely normal Gloin couldn't stop himself from worrying. Now that the time of fatherhood was getting closer and closer Gloin often found himself panicking when Brimli or Oin weren't around. His brother came at least once a week to make sure his wife was okay and although Brimli constantly told the pair of them to stop fussing over her Gloin made sure Oin still came – he wouldn't take any chances.<p>

Gloin was busy building a cot for the little one when Oin made his latest visit. Brimli was sitting by the fire after being given strict instructions not to move a single inch. For all of her protests Gloin could tell his wife secretly liked not having to rush about house cooking and cleaning. As Oin sat down by Brimli and began looking her over Gloin's focus was on his own handiwork. He'd already asked Bofur to make a couple of toys for the child; a wolf and a bird. He and Brimli had no idea if they were going to be blessed with a boy or a girl and Gloin wanted to be on the safe side. After hearing the happy news Bofur had instantly agreed to do the toys for nothing even though Gloin had spent at least two hours arguing with the toymaker that he didn't want charity.

"Nonsense!" Bofur grinned. "Call it the baby's very first present."

"Bofur I don't mind paying…I want to pay ye!" Gloin had no idea how long he and the toymaker had been at it. For all of his carefree appearance Bofur was a master haggler and Gloin should have known that getting into an argument with him over money was pointless. Gloin left the shop later that night with Bofur grinning madly at him. The bigger dwarf told the toymaker he only gave way because he had an expectant wife to get back to.

"Of course Gloin." Bofur laughed. "Of course."

When he got home he watched as Brimli began putting the dishes away. As she picked up his huge axe to move it out of the way Gloin was his feet in an instant.

"Put that down." He moved towards her. He wasn't trying to order her about but Oin had told her not to lift anything heavy. Gloin had been worried when she tried to lift his weapons _before_ all of this. Now the sight of her was absolutely terrifying.

"Gloin please." Brimli turned to face him. A smile was still on her face but Gloin could see the strain behind it.

"I'm not an invalid. I am perfectly capable of doing things for myself. I'm only just half way gone!"

Gloin shook his head and pulled his wife back towards the fire. As the pair sat together on the sofa Gloin's' hand – as usual – strayed to his wife's stomach. For a minute neither of them said a word. Gloin was almost about to take his hand away when he felt a small kick coming from Brimli's stomach. His eyes widened with a mix of happiness and shock.

"It just…did ye feel that?"

Brimli gave a small nod and Gloin grabbed her hand before placing it over the spot the baby had kicked. The pair looked at each other and as he felt a few tears welling up Gloin couldn't help but blush.

"I knew you were sensitive." Brimli kissed the top of his nose and Gloin huffed.

"Aye well…it's a magical occurrence this is."

Brimli laughed before looking down at her belly.

"Do you think it will be a boy or a girl?"

Gloin made an effort to look indifferent and Brimli raised an eyebrow.

"Well?"

"I can't personally say I mind…"Gloin bit his lip.

"I bet Oin it would be a boy. He seems almost certain it's a girl."

"Hmm." Brimli lay back and shut her eyes. "I think it'll be a boy." She opened one eye and glanced cheekily at him.

"The way it kicked just now…there's no way it won't be a boy."

Gloin chuckled at his wife's comment and as she fell asleep he reached out and pulled a blanket over her body. His eyes never leaving the roundness of her belly.

* * *

><p>As the weather began to get colder Gloin's worrying increased massively. He refused to allow Brimli out of the house unless she had at least three layers of furs on. When she was a couple of months away from her due date Dis popped in to see how she was doing. As the two women sat and chatted Gloin was aware of Thorin watching him closely.<p>

"I never got a proper chance to say congratulations." The king in exile gave his friend a warm smile and Gloin nodded in agreement.

"What if I'm not a very good father?" the question had been on his mind over the past few weeks. With the exception on Thorin's nephews and Ori; Gloin didn't have much experience of looking after children. But now that he was about to be a father – the idea of failing his wife and their child had often kept him awake at night. Thorin shook his head with a small laugh.

"When Fili and Kili's father died and I took over…I was terrified." Thorin admitted quietly.

"Facing an army of Orcs is nothing compared to a child. Especially a dwarfling." He looked Gloin over.

"You won't be a perfect father. No one is a perfect father. You'll make mistakes like I often did with Fili and Kili. But eventually you'll work out what you need to do. As long as you stand by your child and protect them from the world then you can't possibly fail."

* * *

><p>In the final weeks of her pregnancy Gloin had moved onto the sofa in order to give his wife – who was now <em>very<em> large – as much comfort as possible. Over the past couple of days the baby had stopped kicking and Brimli had experience severe stomach pains. One time she screamed so loudly Gloin thought she would give birth then and there. He'd even been on the verge of running for his brother when the pains stopped and Brimli found herself laughing hysterically at his worried face.

"Oh well I'm glad ye finding this funny!" Gloin had tried to be stern with his wife but he could feel the corners of his mouth twitching and before long the pair of them were hugging each other with tears of laughter falling down the face.

One night - a few days before Yulemas – Gloin had just been about to shut his eyes with he heard a sharp cry of pain from the bedroom. He'd never moved so fast in his life and within a few seconds he was by his wife's bedside. Sweat was forming on her forehead and in between pants she would let out an agonising scream.

"Get…Oin!" she gasped. Gloin didn't want to leave his wife for a single second. What if something happened and he wasn't there to help her. As another contraction happened his wife glared at him.

"GET HIM!"

Nodding Gloin pulled his coat on and ran outside. The air was bitter cold and in his haste he'd forgotten to put his boots on. The frost licked at his feet but Gloin cared about none of that as he ran through the streets to his brother's house. Thanking Mahal his brother was only a few streets away Gloin wasted no time in trying to break the door down.

"Gloin?" Although his brothers hearing had been going recently he still managed to get to the door. Gloin didn't have to say anything to him. Within minutes Oin had grabbed his coat and healing bag and joined his brother outside. As they ran back to Gloin's house they could hear his wife screaming again.

"When did they start?" Oin wasted no time as Gloin let him in. Running straight to the bedroom he looked over at Brimli who had forced herself into a sitting position. Gloin bit his lip.

"About half an hour ago."

Oin nodded. "Okay we've got time. Get me some water and some blankets."

Gloin did nothing that night expect fetch stuff for Oin or sit by his wife's side. After several hours that almost resulted in breaking Gloin's hand Oin told the pair that the baby was on his way. At the news Brimli flashed Gloin a tired smile whilst panic flew through Gloin.

"Okay." Oin nodded at Brimli. "When I say push I need you to push for me. Understand?"

Brimli nodded and although he knew he would regret it later Gloin took her hand. Oin gave the nod and as Brimli began pushing Gloin screwed up his face in the hope he could bear the crushing pain in his hand.

"I can see the head!" Oin smiled at the pair. "One more push my dear."

Brimli let out a piercing scream as she pushed with all her might. Gloin gasped as he felt his skin bruise but all the pain was forgotten as a little cry rang throughout the house. Oin wrapped the baby in the cleanest blanket before passing it the Brimli with a tearful smile.

"It's a boy." He said. Gloin couldn't help it. He guffawed with laughter and clapped Oin on the shoulder.

"I believe you owe me ten gold coins brother?"

Oin shook his head but nevertheless handed over the money. Gloin then turned his attention to Brimli who was cradling the bundle in her arms. As he leaned over to have a look Gloin saw a shock of ginger hair and bright blue eyes looking back at him.

"What should we call him?" he kissed his wife's forehead and she nodded.

"I was thinking Gimli."

Gloin ran the name through his head before nodding.

"It's perfect," he gently stroked his sons face with his finger.

"Gimli son of Gloin."

_**Hoped everyone liked this chapter – I think it was one of the hardest but also one of my favourites to write I think. **_


	11. Step Into Christmas

_**Wow almost 2,000 views!**_

_**Thilbo4Ever – I always like to mention people who are following me. Without you guys I wouldn't be updating so it's done to you really. Glad you love the stories.**_

_**Nuka – Happy you're enjoying it.**_

"I don't want to go."

Ori sat on the edge of the sofa as both of his older brothers stared down at him. Nori's face was on of complete indifference and Ori knew his brother wanted nothing more than being able to head back to his room and play his music at full blast. Dori however folded his arms and gave Ori 'the look'. Although he was only sixteen years old Ori had been given 'the look' more times than he cared to remember.

"It's only going to be for a few hours." Nori reasoned. Ori however carried on shaking his head and wrapped his arms around his thin body as the two brothers sighed at each other.

"It'll be rude if you don't go." Dori moved over to sit beside who Ori who gave a smaller shake of the head. Dori put an arm round Ori's shoulder and hugged him close.

"Why don't you want to go? You get on with Fili and Kili at school don't you?"

Ori nodded. "But I don't like parties. There are too many people and too much noise and I'm not going."

He said it with such certainty that Nori raised an eyebrow.

"Why force him to go? If he doesn't want to then he doesn't want to?"

"That's not the point Nori." Dori gritted his teeth whilst Ori shuffled uncomfortably on the sofa as his brother launched into yet another conversation about how Ori needed to 'come out of his shell'. Nori said nothing and Ori looked down at his feet.

"Could you not just say I'm Ill? That way it doesn't look rude." Ori piped up; thinking this was a good idea. That way he didn't have to go and it didn't look bad on Dori. Nori was already nodding to show his approval but as he looked over at Dori's pursed lips Ori knew he wasn't going to be getting out of this one.

"You're going." Dori got to his feet. "You'll enjoy it I promise you."

"That's easy for you to say." Ori grumbled. "You like parties."

Nori chuckled at this before straightening his face out as Dori glared at him. Patting him on the back Dori headed into the kitchen whilst Ori got to his feet and headed for the stairs. The party was a week away and already his hands were trembling at the thought of having to go. It wasn't that he didn't like Fili and Kili – they were his best friends after all and he usually enjoyed being with them. But parties were completely different. Ori had only been to two before now but each time he'd found himself leaving far earlier than anyone else. He'd tried explaining it to Dori; how he found it hard to breathe when he was around lots of new people. How he found it hard to be himself because he was scared people wouldn't like him. It had taken him almost three months to feel comfortable around Fili and Kili and even now he sometimes retreated into a shell.

When he got to his room Ori took a few deep breaths. Fili and Kili were his friends; at the very least he could go to see them; and if things got too much then he could just slip away like he had the previous times.

* * *

><p>Ori didn't say anything as Dori pulled up outside the house. Brightly coloured lights had been hung up outside and as he got nearer the door Ori saw a holly wreath hanging on the red door. Even from his position halfway down the drive he could hear the Christmas songs that were being played inside.<p>

"Ori! Hi!"

Ori smiled as he saw Kili in the doorway. The brunette wore a bright blue jumper with a snowman on it and when he saw Kili's look of disgust at his clothes Ori instantly found himself relaxing ever so slightly. Dori gave him a reassuring wave before driving off and Ori found himself alone of the driveway. Almost as though he could sense Ori's discomfort Kili ran over to him and pulled him towards the house.

"You should see Fili!" he grinned whilst picking at his own jumper.

"It's worse than mine…if that's even possible."

Ori doubted this highly until they got inside and he saw a very disgruntled Fili standing by a Christmas tree. Fili's older brother wore a bright green jumper with an image on Father Christmas on it. Sneaking a look at Kili Ori tried not to laugh but when he saw Kili's mouth twitch he couldn't help but let out a small giggle. Fili rolled his eyes before eyeing Kili's jumper.

"I can't believe mum's making us where these. If we had family over then yeah I'd get it!"

Kili shook his head before pulling Ori through the hallway and into the living room. Ori looked around at the decorations whilst his brain tried to work out how long it had taken the family to put them up. Tinsel had been wrapped around almost everything and Ori saw paper snowflakes had been hung from the ceiling.

"It looks so cool." He smiled at the pair who grinned back before their eyes widened at their mothers voice.

"Hello Ori!"

"MUM!" Both brothers looked in horror as their mum came into the living room with a jumper that was almost like Kili's – only black and as well as a snowman it had snowflakes on it. Ori grinned at the blushes on Fili and Kili's cheeks whilst there mum shook her head.

"Just remember I'm letting you have this party on the understanding you behave. That includes comments about the jumpers." She eyed Kili at these words and he gave her his best puppy dog eyes. Ruffling his hair their mum smiled again at Ori before moving back into the kitchen.

"Who else is coming?" Ori wished he didn't sound so nervous when he asked the question. Kili ignored him his focus fixed on one of the chocolate tree decorations. Fili rolled his eyes at his brother.

"Not many people. Kili insisted we invite Tauriel." Fili winked at Ori who snickered at the mention of the girl. She sat in front of Fili and Kili in class and Ori hadn't failed to notice how often Kili would stare at her. At the mention of his name Kili turned round – hurriedly cramming the rest of the chocolate in his mouth – and glowered at his brother who gave an innocent shrug.

"I don't mind inviting Tauriel. As long as you don't spend the whole evening gazing at her." He burst into laughter at this whilst Kili shook his head before playfully launching himself at Kili. Within seconds the pair of them were rolling around the floor in what seemed to be a cross between wrestling and a tickling competition. Already Ori could feel himself starting to relax. However, as the doorbell sounded all of his anxiety started to steadily creep back and he took a few deep breaths. The brothers shot to their feet and Kili went to go and see who it was. As they heard Tauriels voice and Kili's small stammer both Ori and Fili winked at each other. This was going to be an interesting night.

* * *

><p>Although he probably wouldn't admit it to Dori; Ori was starting to enjoy himself. As Fili had said only a few people came. It was more of a case of friends hanging out as opposed to an actual party. Although there was music, food and a bit of dancing. When Kili and Tauriel danced Ori couldn't help but wolf whistle at the pair before blushing at his sudden soar of confidence. He didn't look at his watch once and when his phone rang he realised with a jolt that he had to get home for dinner. Quickly texting Dori to come and pick him up Ori looked over at Fili and Kili – the pair had swapped their jumpers and Fili was too busy teasing Kili to notice Ori.<p>

"Hey?" Ori cleared his throat. "I'm gonna head off now. Thanks for the party."

"Any time." Fili grinned and Kili nodded.

"See you on Monday."

As he made his way out of the house and down the drive Ori saw Dori waiting for him by the gate. When he saw Dori's smug smile Ori rolled his eyes as his brother put and arm around his shoulder and the pair began walking to the car.

"I told you you'd have a good time."

Ori gave a reluctant nod. "There were only a few people. Small numbers I can cope with."

Dori rolled his eyes and started talking but Ori wasn't really listening. His mind was already running through possible present ideas he could get for Fili and Kili. He didn't have enough money to get them something huge but at the same time he wanted to put some thought into it. The pair had hosted the first party that he had actually liked – not that they knew that – and Ori wanted to find the perfect way of thanking them.

* * *

><p>It took him about a week but one afternoon Ori found himself standing outside the house once again. He had a carrier bag in each hand and when he rang the bell he hoped the pair liked his present choice.<p>

"Ori!" Fili smiled at him and Ori noticed he was wearing Kili's jumper again. Not bothering to comment he wiped his shoes on the matt before following Fili in.

"Ori's here!" Fili yelled up the stairs. Ori only had to wait a few second before the figure of Kili came bounding down the stairs – jumping over the last three completely. Fili shook his head.

"One day you're going to fall and break your neck." He wrapped an arm round Kili and gave his brother an exaggerated kiss on the top of his head. As Kili squirmed in his brothers grip Ori smiled shyly before handing the bags over to his friends.

"They aren't much." He admitted. "But…happy Christmas."

"Thanks!" Kili grinned at Ori before looking in his own bag. As he stood there patiently waiting for their reactions Ori watched as the hallway was soon littered with torn apart and discarded tags. Fili and Kili both looked at him and for a second Ori wondered if he'd got them the wrong thing. He was already cursing himself when the pair grabbed him in a huge bear hug – making it almost impossible to breathe.

"They are so cool!" the two brothers looked at the PlayStation games they held before grinning at Ori.

"Come on." They grabbed him and hauled him into the living room. Ori watched as Kili booted up his console whilst Fili handed Ori a set of controls. Ori had never told anyone but playing video games was one of the few things he was actually good at. The three of them had just sat down when they heard Dis in the hallway.

"Come back here and clean this mess up now!"

Kili bit his lip whilst Fili took a deep breath.

"If we stay here she might let it drop." He whispered. Kili nodded and the three lay back on the sofa when Dis walked into the room. Whilst she gave Ori a gentle smile she jabbed two fingers in the direction of her sons.

"Hallway. Clean. Now!"

Fili and Kili rolled their eyes but go to their feet all the same. As they went into the hallway grumbling Dis made to leave before turning round to Ori.

"Merry Christmas Ori."

_**Okay so this was the penultimate story in this series. For those who have noticed I'm afraid I won't be including Bombur in this series. The plan was to have a story for each dwarf but the only idea I had for him just isn't working and I don't want to give you guys a half-baked job because that would be a pretty poor thanks for all you're support.**_


	12. Let It Snow

_**Wow over 2,000 views!Big thanks to fluffybunny39 and jepenner for following/favouriting.**_

_**Delovlies – I was thinking that! And Ori is just the most adorable thing ever isn't he?**_

_**Sorrellkaren – That was probably the hardest thing about this series, keeping all the dwarves in character.**_

As he finished saddling up his pony Kili took another look at his quiver – checking to make sure he had enough arrows. Overnight there had been a thick snowstorm and the dwarves of Ered Luin had woken up to find their world covered in snow and ice. All at once panic had set in over being able to find enough food for the winter and with Yulemas so close such panic had been increased. It hadn't taken Fili and Kili long to decide that they should spend the next couple of days hunting. Admittedly it had taken a little longer trying to convince Thorin to let them go. Their uncle didn't doubt their ability to catch enough game. He was far more worried about reports the several Orcs scouts had been spotted close by and the last thing he and his family needed was to lose another member. However – after much debate – Thorin finally agreed. His nephews were the best hunters Ered Luin had and if anyone could bring back enough food to keep the people going it would be those two. Fili and Kili hadn't wasted anytime and the pair had run towards the stables to saddle up their ponies. Kili had been ready to go when Fili had to run back to fetch his best hunting knife. As he stroked his pony's mane Kili shook his head as he thought about Fili infinite number of knives. For as long as he could remember which was about 60 or so years, Fili had always had some form of weapon in his hand. In fact he owned so many it was no wonder he'd managed to forget about one. At the sound of footsteps Kili looked up expecting to see his brother hurrying towards him. However as he looked up to see two stocky dwarves with light brown hair and short beards his heart sank as the pair headed towards him.

"Cal. Hal." Kili said coolly. "What do you want?"

The two dwarves raised their eyebrows at him and Kili resisted the urge to roll his eyes; knowing full well why these two were here. Cal's mouth split into a smirk.

"Off hunting mongrel?" he said icily. Kili's eyes flashed at the insult but he forced himself to remain calm.

"I'm not a mongrel." He spat. Hal shrugged.

"How do we know?"

"Because both my parents were dwarves." Kili gripped his pony's reins tightly whilst the pair laughed.

"How could _both_ your parents have been dwarves?" Hal inched closer to Kili.

"You're nothing like a dwarf."

"You're tall." Cal added. "And far too thin."

Kili looked down at himself whilst Hal tapped his fingers against Kili's bow.

"And who heard of a dwarf using a bow?" he whispered. Kili swallowed nervously whilst Cal stepped up to his other side.

"That's easy brother." He hissed. "He isn't able to use proper dwarf weapons so his uncle lumbered him with an elf's weapon."

"Figures." Hal said smoothly. "He does look more like an elf." He reached out to grab Kili's hair.

"Wonder if he's got pointy ears like an elf."

Kili grabbed Hal's hand in mid-air and twisted it sharply.

"I'm no elf!" he all but screamed. Cal and Hal looked at each other and no doubt they would have said more when the three of them heard Fili's shout behind them,

"Kili?"

Cal and Hal sighed before running off. Letting out a shaky breath Kili avoided his brother's gaze and mounted his pony. Fili followed his brother's actions before looking over.

"What did _they_ want?" he whispered. Kili shook his head.

"Nothing." He clicked his teeth and as his pony began walking off Fili had to hurry up to avoid being left behind. As they left the outskirts of Ered Luin and began riding across the snow covered fields Kili tried to push the words from his mind. He knew both of his parents were dwarves. His mother had loved his father with all her might – she would never betray him like that. Besides; he and Fili were brothers. They were bound by blood and soul.

* * *

><p>When they brought the ponies to a halt Fili began setting up snares whilst Kili scanned the area in the hope of catching sight of a deer or a wild boar. The harsh sunlight made him squint but it didn't take him long to catch sight of a young deer standing by a tree. As he brought his arrow to his cheek Kili took a deep breath before letting it fly. The deer fell to the ground and without wasting any more time Kili nocked another arrow before turning and watching it fly towards an even larger deer. As the animal gave a dying scream Kili said nothing when Fili clapped him on the back.<p>

"Nice one Kee!" he grinned excitedly and hurried off towards the animals. Kili sighed before following. As he removed the arrows he watched Fili grab the bigger deer and drag it towards the ponies. Hurriedly wiping the blood on the snow Kili took hold of the other deer and hauled it backwards. His arms strained from the weight but he was determined not to let his brother see how much effort it was taking him. Fili said nothing as he tied a deer to each pony and Kili went to nock another arrow when Fili placed a hand on his arm.

"What's the matter Kee?" Fili whispered. Kili shook his head but he'd made the mistake of looking into Fili's eyes. As his brother gave him a pleading glance Kili rolled his eyes before moving over to sit down on a thick log by his pony. As he chucked his bow to the side Kili watched Fili sit down beside him and place an arm around his shoulders.

"What did Cal and Hal say this time?" Fili whispered softly. Kili bit his lip; ashamed at himself for letting the cruel words get to him. Over the past few years he'd found himself brushing off the comments that were sometimes hurled his way. But then he'd never been called a mongrel before. Running a hand through his un-braided hair Kili looked down at his feet.

"Just the usual stuff." He muttered. Fili held him close.

"I thought you'd learnt not to pay attention to those idiots?" he didn't sound annoyed at Kili who was still shaking his head.

"They said I was…" he broke off with a gulp. Not wanting Fili to know what people said about his little brother. However Fili's grip on his shoulder tightened.

"Kili…what did they say?"

"They called me a mongrel." Kili whispered. "They've never called me that before. It's always half breed or elf spawn."

As Fili cursed under his breath Kili didn't dare look at his older brother. He knew what would be going through Fili's head. Fili was Kili biggest defender; always ready to stand up for him or even fight those who picked on Kili. The fact that someone had called Kili a mongrel and he'd not been able to stop it would hurt Fili more than the actual insult.

Not wishing to see his brother upset Kili looked at the snow covered landscape around him and a smile slowly grew on his face.

"Come on Fee!" he pulled his brother to his feet before running off. Fili frowned but Kili bit down on his laugh as he grabbed a handful of snow and hit his brother in the stomach. Fili spluttered with laughter before throwing his own snowball – hitting Kili in the shoulder. It didn't take long for both brothers to forget their worries. Within minutes they were running around like dwarflings once again. Despite being the youngest Kili could see he was easily the winner of this fight and that alone pleased him that – for once – he was better than Fili at something.

"KILI!"

Kili looked up to see a blonde blur running towards him. As Fili knocked him to the ground Kili thought for one second they were being attacked. However he saw the glint in his brother's eyes and as Fili began tickling him Kili scrunched up his face in laughter.

"Stop it!" he rolled around. "Fili stop!" his voice was almost inaudible from the amount he was laughing. Fili sat back on his knees and gave Kili a warm smile.

"They're wrong to call you such things." He said; his voice full of seriousness. Kili nodded and sat up. Fili sighed.

"If those idiots actually stopped and thought about it they would know you were a true dwarf. Take it from me Kili, mum was always loyal to dad and would never…" he broke off and Kili nodded.

"I know she would never do that Fee." He slowly got to his feet.

"It's just hard to ignore their words sometimes." He looked down at his feet and Fili held him close.

"The only opinion of you that matters is your own." He said firmly. "That's the only one you should listen to."

"Don't you mind?" Kili asked in a small voice. Fili frowned at him and he looked over at his bow.

"Don't you mind me using a bow more than a sword?"

"Oh Kili!" Fili shook his head.

"Of course not. I'd be more bothered if you didn't have any means of protecting yourself. Besides," he grinned before looking over at the two deer.

"Cal and Hal would never have been able to take those deer out would they?"

Kili snorted. "Course not. They'd be blood everywhere and the deer would still escape."

Fili laughed before clapping Kili on the back.

"Exactly brother."

* * *

><p>The day passed by quickly. Halfway through the afternoon Fili checked his snares and – satisfied with what they'd caught today – suggested that he and Kili head back to Ered Luin. Kili nodded happily; Cal and Hal's words almost gone from his mind. The ponies were laden with the kills and therefore both brothers were forced to walk. Fili was busy talking but Kili wasn't fully listening. Instead his eyes never left the surroundings and his ears were confident that they could hear something.<p>

"Fili?" Kili leaned over to get his brothers attention. At first Fili didn't hear him and Kili bit his lip.

"Fili!"

Fili paused and frowned at Kili who shrugged.

"I thought I heard something." Kili admitted. Fili looked all around them before shaking his head.

"You're imagining things Kee."

Kili nodded when he heard a crackling sound beside him. Without even pausing he dropped the reins and fitted an arrow to his bow. He heard Fili draw his sword as an Orc ran towards them but Kili was already letting his arrow fly. The Orc stopped in his tracks as the arrow was lodged in its throat.

"We should get out of here." Fili muttered grimly. Kili nodded when he heard a snarl behind him. Spinning round he saw another Orc running towards him and he let another arrow fly. No sooner did that Orc fall than another two came into view. Dropping his bow Kili drew his sword and stood to stand against his brothers back as the pair faced their attackers. Working as a team they fought against the Orcs that were emerging from hiding. Fili used his twin blades whilst Kili's own sword did the job just as well. As more Orcs came the pair stepped away from each other in order to have more movement. Kili made short work of his own attackers – stabbing the last one in the back - and he was about to sheath his sword when he heard Fili yelling behind him. Kili's blood ran cold as he turned to see Fili fighting one Orc whilst another advanced behind him. Fili was too busy fighting to notice the new danger and for Kili there was only one course of action he would take. Screaming with anger he threw himself between the Orc and Fili. The Orc hissed at him but Kili threw up his blade to block to Orcs.

"Stay away from my brother!" he hissed. For a second he thought he might be able to hold the Orc off. Behind he heard Fili kill his attacker and only when the Orc give him a smile did Kili realise where'd he'd gone wrong. As the knife sunk just below his left hip the pain blossomed through his leg and he fell backwards.

"Kili!"

Fili's own sword plunged through the Orcs chest. But the blonde dwarf couldn't care less about that. Ignoring the bodies around him he knelt down beside Kili who was taking deep breaths.

"You saved my life!" Fili gasped. Kili shrugged as Fili shook his head.

"You could have been killed Kili! Don't ever do something like that again!"

Kili couldn't help but laugh. "The Orc was going to kill you Fee. What else could I do?"

Biting down on his remark Fili grabbed Kili round the waist and helped him to his feet. As Kili leant against the pony Fili looked at the knife wound.

"It's not too deep." He muttered. "Oin should be able to patch you up."

Kili nodded and began walking when Fili shook his head. Kili gave up protesting as his brother helped him onto one of the ponies before the pair began the long walk home.

* * *

><p>When they arrived back in Ered Luin the pain in Kili's legs was becoming almost too much. Fortunately the first people they came across where Thorin and Oin. Instantly Fili ran towards his uncle.<p>

"It's Kili!" he gasped. "He's hurt!"

Kili shook his head; trying to downplay his injury. Thorin was having none of it. The second Fili had helped Kili off his pony Oin took one look at Kili and ordered him to be taken straight to the healing house. Thorin nodded and before Kili could protest he scooped him up into his arms and followed Oin – leaving Fili to look after the ponies.

"It's nothing." Kili grumbled as Thorin laid him down on a bed and Oin began grabbing bandages and water. Thorin gave his nephew a warm smile before looking over at Oin.

"Will he be okay?"

The healer nodded as he cut away the material from Kili's trousers.

"It's not a deep wound. I just need to clean it and stich it. He'll heal in no time."

As Oin began his work Thorin tried to think of how best to distract Kili from the pain.

"What happened?" he held Kili's hand and noticed that although Kili seemed determined not to appear weak he didn't let go.

"We were attacked by Orcs." Kili wasn't sure why he was so calm.

"One was going to kill Fili and I tried to stop it." He bit his lip as he realised he hadn't actually succeeded. Fili had been the one to kill the Orc, not him.

"He saved my life uncle." Kili looked up to see Fili standing beside Thorin. The pride in his brother's eyes made Kili's heart soar for the moon and as Oin stepped away from the bed with a satisfied nod Kili gently prodded his stitched up wound. Fili bit down on his laughter whilst Oin threw his hands in the air – moaning about how his hard work would be wasted if Kili had his way.

"He won't be walking much." Oin looked over at Thorin who nodded. Kili pouted at this but Fili patted the top of his head before scooping him into his arms.

"Can't I at least walk home?" Kili pleaded – he didn't really want to be carried through the streets. Fili looked over at Oin who nodded. As Kili was set on his feet and leaned on Fili who pressed his forehead to Kili's.

"I love you so much _sannadad."_ He whispered. Kili's eyes lit up in delight at what Fili had just called him. Fili hugged his brother close before the pair of them limped out into the streets together.

"It's certainly been one of the more interesting days." Kili commented dryly. Fili shook his head.

"Just…don't make a habit of it. Please?"

Kili winked at him. "I make no promises."

**Translation**

**Sannadad – **Perfect Brother

_**Aww! What better way to end this little festive series than with some Fili/Kili brotherly love? Hope this has been able to get people in the Christmas mood as well as cheer you p if you've seen BOFTA. Again sorry there was no Bombur story but I just couldn't get the idea to work **__** Let me know what you think and above all have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!**_


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